


Best Kept Secrets

by allmylovesatonce



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: M/M, fake dating au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:07:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 58,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25597027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allmylovesatonce/pseuds/allmylovesatonce
Summary: Henry is desperate to not go to his friend's wedding on his own, especially since his ex will be there. Pez sends out a post, asking for a fake boyfriend for Henry and the first person to reply is none other than Alex.It starts with a posting he never expected to read, but how will it end? And will they be convincing enough? Or will they just confuse each other?
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Comments: 357
Kudos: 535





	1. An Unusual Proposal

**Author's Note:**

> Interrupting my updates on What Do I Know? to start a new story. Makes sense, right?  
> Hope you enjoy!

Henry stares in horror at the screen, ignoring a grinning Pez watching him from the other side of the laptop. “What the hell did you do?” Henry asks, finally looking up at him. 

“I’m helping you out. You said you wouldn’t take me because they would never believe we were together. Also because those arseholes never respected my brilliance,” Pez says with a scoff. Henry rolls his eyes. “And clearly not, because look how they treated you.” 

“Pez, why would you do this without asking me first?” 

“Because I knew you’d say no.” 

Henry leans back against the couch and covers his face, groaning loudly into his hands. He sits up again and points at the screen. “This is insane!” 

There’s a ding that signals an email in Henry’s inbox. A smug grin crosses Pez’s face. “Is it? Because it sounds like you’re already getting interested parties.” 

Henry glares at him and reads the post on the school marketplace site one more time. 

**Wanted:**

**Someone to pose as my boyfriend as I go to a wedding in England with former friends/an ex. Hanky panky not necessary, but applicants should be comfortable with some light PDA, as to sell the “relationship.”**

**All expenses paid for the week-long trip to England!**

**Send only serious applications to my email: hfox@nyu.edu.**

**Thank you in advance!**

**Henry Fox**

“I cannot believe you used the phrase ‘hanky panky.’ Who even says that anymore?” Henry whines. 

Pez shrugs. “It seemed classier than ‘you don’t have to suck my dick,’ while also getting the point across.” 

Henry rolls his eyes again, wondering how Pez is the friend that has stood by his side for all these years. 

The idea of going to James and Daisy’s wedding and the week-long hoopla surrounding it was rough enough, but thinking about going with some stranger  _ pretending  _ to be in love with him? That just seems almost brutal. What if Colin doesn’t even believe it and everyone sees through the farce? That would make him look even more pathetic. 

But the idea of going alone also seems awful. 

He wishes he’d never gotten drunk the other night and whined to Pez about having to go alone to the wedding that he and his ex are both in. He’s still not even sure why James asked him to be in the wedding anyway. It was his stupid noble pride that made him agree to it and now he hates himself a bit too. Not as much as he hates the rest of them. 

But that’s another story. 

Henry ignores his email for the rest of the night until Pez goes to bed. In all likelihood, it’s just some email from one of his classmates on one of the god-awful listservs he’s on. That’s almost what he’s hoping the one unread email is. He can’t fathom why anyone would actually read that posting and think it sounded like a good idea. 

It’s after midnight when Pez is finally asleep and Henry is finally working up the courage to check his email. He hates the seed of disappointment in his stomach as he reads an email reminding his classics book club that the site of their summer meeting has changed. He stares at the email for a long time, wishing that he didn’t want it to be something else. It’s silly of him to think that anyone would actually take him up on such a ridiculous offer. 

Henry closes his laptop and closes his eyes for a moment. He figures Bea is probably still asleep. It’s only 5:00 in London. Grabbing his phone, he decides to send a text for her to read in the morning, letting her know all about this craziness. She usually has good insight into his life. Perhaps she’ll pull through again this time and make him feel better for feeling so foolish. 

As he’s typing out a text to his sister, there’s another ding that signals an email. He stares at the banner on his phone until it disappears. His mind simply won’t wrap around the headline: 

**Re: Wedding Date Posting**

Henry abandons his text and switches over to his email app. He stills at the name highlighted in his unread email. Taking a deep breath, he clicks on the message and reads it about twenty times. 

**To: hfox**

**From: aclaremontdiaz**

_ Hi, Henry! _

_ My name is Alex Claremont-Diaz. I saw your posting on the NYU marketplace site. I was looking to find out more information about this whole setup — like when the wedding is, where specifically (though cool that it’s in England. I’ve never been), what you’d expect and all that.  _

_ I’m a serious applicant, as your post required.  _

_ Let me know. Maybe we could get coffee or something and talk things through. I’m sure you have plenty of other applicants you’re sorting through.  _

_ Anyway, have a good evening. Good luck with finals.  _

_ Alex _

When Henry finally puts his phone down, he’s not sure how to react. He can’t believe that anyone actually replied to the ad. But he also can’t believe it’s  _ him.  _ Why would Alex of all people actually reply to the ad? Does he remember Henry? Probably not. Henry was the one pathetically obsessed with Alex, even though they only spoke a handful of times in the lit class they’d both taken. 

Henry isn’t sure how to reply to the email yet, so he marks it as unread and lets it sit in his inbox like a haunting memory. 

The next morning, Henry doesn’t mention it to Pez. He grabs his bag and heads off to the library, needing time to study for his finals. Remembering the time he met Alex at the library to study  _ one  _ time, Henry has a hard time focusing and keeps looking around, wondering if he’s there. 

He lets the email go unreplied to until the end of finals. The wedding isn’t until the end of June. He has plenty of time to sort things out. 

When he walks out of his last final, he makes a detour instead of going straight home. Henry stops in a coffeeshop a few blocks from the library and sits at a table in the corner. It doesn’t make all that much sense, but he doesn’t want to reply to this email in a place where Pez could catch him. If he knew that  _ Alex  _ was the one that replied to Pez’s post, he would be so obnoxious. That is truly the last thing Henry needs. 

Henry stares at the blinking line on his email, the one waiting for him to type literally anything. Why are emails always such a pain to write? It’s not like he really knows Alex all that well. And this is such an awkward email to have to compose. Rolling his eyes and taking a long swig of his tea, he presses on. 

_ Alex,  _

_ My apologies for the long time before replying. Finals got the best of me.  _

_ I would certainly be interested in giving more details on this strange proposition if you’re actually sure you’d like them. It’s a bit complicated why I’m wanting someone to go with me. But I suppose I can get more into that in person.  _

_ Anyway, I think it would be a good idea to meet in person to hash things out. Meeting for coffee would be just fine for me. Are you familiar with the coffee shop Rise and Grind? It’s near the library. I thought we could meet there. When would be best for you?  _

_ Thank you (I think) for humoring me by replying to this posting.  _

_ Talk to you soon.  _

_ Henry  _

Henry presses send on the email and then shoves his phone into his satchel. Pulling out a book, he drinks his tea and tries to distract himself from the email he just sent and the person he just sent it to. 

After a couple of hours of relaxation, he finally makes himself go home. He’s keying into his apartment that he shares with Pez when his phone dings, signalling another email. Henry walks in and closes the door behind him, leaning against it as he pulls out his phone. 

_ Henry,  _

_ No worries. Finals are awful.  _

_ I definitely know Rise and Grind! They fuel my caffeine addiction. How would Monday afternoon work for you? Maybe 2:00?  _

_ I’m a little bit excited to hear all the drama that made you post something like this.  _

_ Alex _

Henry doesn’t wait this time before he fires off another email. 

_ Alex,  _

_ Monday at 2:00 works just fine. See you then.  _

_ x _


	2. A Fake First Date

Henry gets to Rise and Grind half an hour earlier than they planned to meet. His nerves are leaving him a mess. He drinks a cup of Earl Grey, hoping to calm down. It doesn’t help all that much. He’s claimed the same corner table that he sat at when he initially replied to Alex’s email. When 2:00 hits, Henry’s eyes are trained on the door. Thinking back on the class they shared, he tries to remember if Alex is a punctual person or not. 

Finally, Alex walks in and looks around. He looks exactly as Henry remembers him. That may be a problem down the line. Henry raises his hand when Alex looks over his way. Looking at his watch, it’s only 2:02. Apparently those two minutes felt like twenty. 

“Henry?” he asks as he approaches the table. Henry nods. “Oh good. Sorry, I was behind this pack of slow walkers and I couldn’t get around them until the last minute.” 

“No worries,” Henry says like he didn’t spend the full two minutes panicking that Alex wasn’t coming. 

“You look really familiar,” Alex says as he sits down. “We had a class together, didn’t we?” 

Henry decides it’s in his best interest to play dumb. “Oh, I think we did.” 

“Lit, right?” Henry tries to look like he’s thinking it through. “You had a lot of opinions on Jane Austen.” 

“Ha!” Henry replies, taking a sip of his tea. “Perhaps.” 

Alex grins. “I’m going to get myself some coffee and I’ll be right back.” Henry nods and watches him walk to the queue. 

This was an awful idea. They only interacted a handful of times when they had that class together. He wonders if Alex was playing dumb and pretending not to remember him, just as Henry had been. They studied together once, but Henry certainly knew who Alex was. 

Either way, he’s not sure how he’s going to fare if Alex agrees to go to the wedding with him. It might be too much for him to handle. Once again, he curses Pez’s name. 

Alex walks back over to the table and sits down, grinning at Henry. It’s too much. Henry would like to wipe that grin off his face. Or kiss it off, but he doesn’t need to dwell on that. 

“So, let’s get down to business.” 

Henry cringes. “What do you want to know?” 

Alex’s brow furrows. “Uh, everything?” He clearly picks up on Henry’s hesitation. “Okay, let’s start with the details of the trip.” 

Henry nods. “Okay, it’s the last week of June.” 

Alex is clearly waiting for more. “How do you know the couple?” 

Henry grimaces. “That moves into the complicated side of things, but alright, I used to be quite good friends with the bride and groom.” 

He frowns. “If you only  _ used  _ to be friends with them, why are you going to the wedding?” 

“I’m actually  _ in  _ the wedding.” 

“But you’re not friends with them anymore?” Alex takes his coffee from the waitress that stops by their table. He gets a delighted look on his face as he takes a sip. “How does that work?” 

Henry tilts his head back and forth. “I rather got the feeling that they saw it as an olive branch.” 

“Why did you agree?” 

“I didn’t know how to say no.” 

Alex laughs. “Well, okay, that makes sense.” He takes another sip of his coffee. “So, why are they not your friends anymore?” 

“Oh, nope. Too soon for that. What other wedding details would you like to know?” 

“You rushing me through this?” Alex asks, that grin back on his face. “What, do you have all your other applicants to interview today?” 

Henry coughs awkwardly. “You’re actually the, uh, only one who replied.” 

“Seriously?” 

“I mean it was a pretty insane thing to post.” 

“Well then why did you?” 

“I didn’t actually.” Alex gapes at him. “My friend posted it for me after I’d whined to him about the wedding.” 

“Oh.” 

Henry works up the courage to ask the question that’s been on his mind since he saw Alex’s reply. “Why did you reply to it?” 

Alex shrugs. “I’d be crazy to turn down an all expenses paid trip to England. Who cares if it’s for a wedding?” 

Henry forces out a laugh to hide his deep disappointment. “Makes sense.”

“So, the ad also said your ex would be there?” 

Henry nods with a glum look on his face. “Yes. He’s also in the wedding.” 

“Oh. Mutual friends?” 

With a scoff, Henry says, “Well, initially.” 

“Okay, there’s some big story here. I’m sorry, but I’ve gotta know.” 

Henry hangs his head slightly. “Fine. So we were all friends at Eton. James — the groom — and my ex, Colin, and me, we were pretty close. James was dating Daisy at the time and we spent a good amount of time with her as well. When we all got into Oxford, it seemed too good to be true. We all lived together.” 

“When did you start dating Colin?” 

“At Eton. So, it was a couples home, really. It seemed perfect. We were all friends and also couples. It was going great.”

“Oh god, what happened?” 

“Colin cheated,” Henry confesses, pausing to take a sip of his tea. Alex’s face looks sympathetic. “And I flew off the handle about it.” 

“Rightfully so. Bastard.” 

Henry fights the grin that wants to spread across his face. “Right. Well, James and Daisy didn’t see it as much. Colin refused to give up his part of the house. But it only had two bedrooms, so there wasn’t much place to go. I told him he needed to move out and he refused. I turned to James and Daisy to back me up, and instead of doing so, they just said they couldn’t get involved.” 

“What?” 

“They wouldn’t back me up in kicking Colin out and Colin wouldn’t leave.” 

“Are you fucking kidding me? So they basically took his side?” 

“Thank you, that’s how I saw it! Anyway, I was so pissed off that I packed up all my things one night and I went to London to stay with my sister. For the rest of the term, I took the train to Oxford to finish out my courses instead of living with them.” 

“Wow. That’s crazy.” 

“Yes. And there were still plenty of times I ran into them. Colin and I were in some of the same classes. I just couldn’t take it anymore. Every time I saw them, I was so angry. I felt like I’d been betrayed by the people I thought were closest to me. All that time, I thought that we were all equal level of friends. But I think I was deluded. I didn’t realize that eventually, they just saw me as Colin’s boyfriend. So in December of my second year at Oxford, I said fuck it and I unenrolled and I got as far away from them as I could. I transferred here to NYU.” 

Alex’s jaw drops a bit. “Wait, that’s why you’re here? Because of them?” 

“Yes.” 

“And you still agreed to be in their wedding?” 

“Like I said, I couldn’t figure out how to say no.” 

“Well, I take back what I said before. You just say ‘No, you fuckers.’ And that’s all that matters. It’s not like you ever plan to see them again.” 

Henry chuckles to himself. “Well, I wish you’d have been around then. My mate, Pez, wasn’t quite as helpful. He thought I should go so I could show off how fabulous my life is here. The only problem is, it’s not that fabulous. Yes, I go to a good school, but they’ll look down on any American school compared to Oxford.” 

“So that’s why he made the post?” 

“Pretty much. He wanted me to find some way to make my life look more incredible.” Henry shrugs. “Seems silly, honestly.” 

“Maybe, but we’re gonna fucking do it,” Alex proclaims. “I’m gonna make your life look fucking awesome!” 

“What? You just heard that entire story and you actually want to wade into this pile of shite?” Henry stares at him like he’s crazy. In all the times he spent mooning over Alex, he never thought he might actually be insane. But here he is, smiling confidently, laying out a plan of how to make Colin jealous and James and Daisy see how much better off he is in America. 

“Not to sound conceited, but look at me. I’m definitely going to make your ex jealous,” Alex says. Henry wants to be turned off by it, but he’s just not. His confidence is pretty attractive. “Besides, I’ll just talk about how much you’re killing it, how happy we are, whatever, and they’ll believe it. You’re just going to have to be ready to go along with me and sell it. If I’m talking it up and you look uncertain, the whole thing is going to fall apart.” 

“You seem to have put a lot of thought into this,” Henry muses. 

“Well, I spent a few days waiting for you to reply, wondering how I was going to outsell my competitors that I definitely thought existed. I did put some plans together. I can’t stress this enough, I want a free trip.” 

Henry shakes his head, trying to push down the continued disappointment. “Well, you’ve got it if you’re crazy enough to actually take me up on this.” 

Alex grins again — that damn grin — and shrugs a bit. “Sounds like a fun time, honestly. I love a nice elaborate scheme.” 

“Also free trips,” Henry says, hoping it sounds lighter than he meant it. 

“Exactly!” Alex cries. Henry just smiles tightly in reply. Alex leans forward, grabbing Henry’s hand. He looks down at his hand and back up to Alex, wondering what the hell he’s doing. “Look, I’m sure you’re nervous about seeing all these people again. I know I would be after such a shitty situation. But, I’ll do my best to make it all look good, to make sure you get something out of it too.” 

Henry frowns, wondering how the hell that will work. Finally, he nods. “Okay.” 

“Great. So, since we have like a month before the wedding, do we need to get together and, I don’t know, get to know each other better so we can sell it?” 

He hadn’t honestly thought that far ahead. “Er…” 

“I mean, it just makes sense.” 

“Well, I’ll have work.” 

“Where do you work?” 

“A bookstore.” 

Alex chuckles. “Of course you do.” 

“Why do you say that?” 

“You were the person who talked the most in our lit class. You seemed to genuinely love literature. It just makes sense to me that you would work in a bookstore,” Alex defends. 

Henry watches him, wonders if Alex paid more attention to him than he initially guessed. The idea of spending time with Alex for the wedding sounds challenging enough. But spending time  _ before  _ they even leave? Spending time when Henry’s obsession with the man could reform  _ and grow?  _ That just sounds dangerous. It sounds perfectly wonderful, but dangerous. 

But damn it, if it doesn’t make sense. “Fine,” Henry says with a sigh. He can’t let Alex know how eager he is to spend time with him. “I suppose I could make time.” 

“I’m just trying to help you, man,” Alex reminds him. 

“No, I know. I just...I don’t really want to think too hard about this wedding.” 

“Makes sense. But the better we get our story down ahead of time, the easier it’ll be to sell it later,” Alex reasons. 

“I know that you’re right. I’ll let you know my work schedule and we can see what lines up,” Henry offers. He really is grateful for the suggestion, but it just all feels impossible. 

“Great!” Alex says, leaning back and taking a sip of his coffee. 

Henry watches him and wonders how the idea of this wedding somehow sounds better and worse all at the same time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't promise that my next updates will be up quickly. My life is getting pretty freaking crazy in the next two weeks. But we'll see! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	3. Tensions Run High

**To: hfox**

**From: aclaremontdiaz**

_ Henry,  _

_ I’m free this Friday evening. We could get a drink and talk more about the event (I’m purposefully avoiding using the word ‘wedding’ — just ignore the fact that I used it there!) Let me know if that would work.  _

_ Matter of fact, I’ll attach my schedule to this email and you can tell me when our schedules align.  _

_ Talk to you soon! _

_ Alex _

Henry has been ignoring Alex’s emails. Logically, it makes sense for them to meet, but it just feels like too much. He doesn’t want to have to show Alex, of all people, the things he keeps hidden. Maybe it would have been easier if it was some stranger, not someone he’d actively daydreamed about for an entire semester or more. 

This whole situation is just a nightmare. If Henry had been stronger, he could have gotten out of it, but he wasn’t and he didn’t, so now he’s stuck. And worse than that, he’s got the looming terror of pretending to be Alex’s boyfriend in front of everyone. He knows he’ll be weird about it. 

That’s why it seems smart to meet with Alex, but he just can’t. 

It’s all Pez’s fault. Well, sadly, not  _ all  _ of it. 

Henry is stocking books during his shift, happy to have some distraction from the damn mess his life has turned into. He can ignore emails from Alex, questions from Pez, whatsapp messages from James, calls from Bea. All he has to do is focus on putting books in the right places. Honestly, it’s pretty perfect. 

Until it’s not. 

“Henry!” 

He turns around at the sound of his name, shocked to see Alex standing there smiling at him. “Alex…” he sputters out. “What are you doing here?” 

“Well, I was walking by and I remembered you saying you worked at The Reading Nook, so I decided to stop in, see if you were working. You never sent me your schedule, so I didn’t know for sure.” He pulls a book off a random shelf and pretends to read the back. “You never let me know if Friday works for you, so I also thought it would be a good time to get an answer.” 

“I’m at work,” Henry says bluntly. Work is supposed to allow him to forget about Alex. It’s rude of him to just interrupt the blessed peace he can so rarely find. 

“Yeah, I see that. But it takes two seconds for you to tell me if Friday works for you or not.” 

Henry rolls his eyes and returns to stacking books. He can hear Alex huff behind him but he doesn’t want to acknowledge it. 

“Come on! I’m trying to help you. Why are you being so weird about this? If you didn’t want to go through with any of it, you shouldn’t have met me for coffee.” 

“I just have a really busy schedule,” Henry deflects. 

“Why do I not believe that?” 

Henry turns around and glares at him. “Look, I’m sorry if I didn’t reply to your email fast enough for your clearly high standards, but I’ve had a lot going on.” 

Alex opens his mouth to retort and is interrupted by Henry’s manager walking over. “Is everything okay here?” 

Henry clears his throat quickly. “Yes, just helping out a customer,” he lies. “Debating the merits of various classics authors.” 

“He’s lying,” Alex says. Henry feels his eyes go wide as he stares at him. “I’m actually his boyfriend. But I promise I’ll be a paying customer too.” He looks back over at Henry. “Gotta help my guy make a paycheck.” 

That seems to appease his supervisor and he nods. “Just make sure you get all your work done, Henry.” 

“Will do, sir. Absolutely.” 

Arnold is barely out of range when Henry turns on Alex. “Why the fuck would you tell him you’re my boyfriend?” 

Alex shrugs. “It was an exercise. I thought I’d get you used to me introducing myself as your boyfriend. You see, the face you made just now, that’s not gonna fly at the wedding. No one would believe you. I’m not sure your boss there did.” 

“Alex, that is insane. I don’t need my coworkers thinking I have a boyfriend. What is going to happen when I come back from the wedding and you’re gone and they start asking, ‘Gee, Henry, what happened to that boyfriend you briefly had?’ I don’t need this!” 

“No, but you do need a boyfriend for the wedding.” 

“Not like this. You can’t just pull this shit, Alex. It’s my fucking life!” He looks around, making sure no one heard him cursing. “Can you just go away? Please. Take a hint by my lack of reply to your emails.” 

Alex stares at Henry, looking unimpressed. “Fine. I was trying to help out of the goodness of my heart,” he says sneeringly. “It’s not like I’m getting anything out of this.” 

“Oh, except your precious all expenses paid trip,” Henry retorts hatefully. Alex has reminded him enough times that it’s his motivator.

“I don’t need this.” 

“Then just go.” 

Alex scoffs and gives Henry a look before he turns and walks away. 

After that, Henry’s ability to distract himself with work is ruined. He keeps replaying the image of Alex walking away, looking at him disgustedly. His words keep echoing in his head. Alex really was just trying to help. Why can’t Henry just accept that help and feel better for the support he’ll have at this incredibly stressful event? 

He spends the rest of his shift hating himself and beating himself up for the way he treated Alex. Half an hour before his shift is over, some woman has to call to him 5 times before he finally realizes she’s talking to him. His boss is going to be pissed at him, but he can’t find it in him to care about that either. 

Once he’s off work, Henry barely gets a block before he needs to stop and pull himself together. He ducks into an alley to get out of the flow of foot traffic. The idea of Alex going to the wedding with him is complicated for sure, but it does make him more willing to go. Having someone there on his side of things seems like it will be so much better than having to go alone. Pez made that post for a reason and Henry answered Alex’s email for a reason. He just needs to stop acting like an idiot. 

Pulling out his phone, he scrolls to a specific email and looks for what he needs. Suddenly, he’s a man on a mission. 

When the door opens, Henry smiles hopefully. Alex looks stunned. “Henry? What the hell are you doing here?” 

“Er, you gave me your address when I booked your ticket.” 

“I didn’t ask  _ how  _ you were here, I asked  _ why  _ you were here,” Alex reminds him, raising one eyebrow. 

Henry clears his throat. “I’m sorry. I...I was caught off guard earlier and I...I acted poorly. I apologize.” 

Alex just shrugs in reply. 

He’s not giving Henry anything to work with. Henry sighs and looks past him into the apartment. “Look, could I just come in and maybe explain things a bit better?” 

There’s a long moment where Alex just watches him. Henry feels nervous and fidgety. He needs this to work out. “Fine,” he finally says, stepping out of the way. 

Henry walks in and nervously hovers near the couch. He waits for Alex to indicate it’s fine for him to sit. Alex gestures to the couch and Henry takes that as his cue. As he watches Alex, the man just looks exhausted already. Henry is still mad at himself for how he acted. 

“This whole wedding is just...a minefield of emotions for me,” he starts. “It took all the strength I had to get out of that situation, to not get sucked back in and let them convince me that things were fine. And while being here in New York has been good for me, it hasn’t really helped me build any of that strength back up. So the well was dry when they came to me and asked me to be in the wedding. I didn’t have the strength to say no. It’s why I need the whole facade.” 

“You kind of already explained that,” Alex says, still looking unimpressed. 

“I thought I was happy with him,” Henry offers. “But looking back, I think those were the worst years of my life. And it all came to a brutal, ugly head and I don’t know if I’m ready to face all that again. To face him or them. The first time I saw them again, I wanted to have this great life to show them that I’m fine, that I don’t need them. But, in that plan, I didn’t have to have some stranger play my boyfriend so I could convince them.” 

Alex looks down, nodding slightly. “I get it.” 

“I didn’t tell you the full story when we met,” Henry finally confesses. 

“You don’t have to —” 

“No, I need to. If you’re to understand at all why I feel so conflicted about all of this, you need to know the full story.” 

“Okay.” 

“We met at Eton and were friends.” 

“Wait, Eton? Isn’t that like that really fancy school that royalty goes to?” Henry just looks down at his hands. Alex laughs. “Ah, gotcha. So you’re loaded?” 

“Anyway…” Henry sidesteps. “In year...wait, let me put this in American terms for you. It was, er, my sophomore year of school,” he says, winking at Alex. Alex chuckles and Henry feels a bit relieved. “That was when Colin and I started dating. It was so easy at first because we’d been friends for a while at that point. Anyway, during my last year at Eton, my dad got sick.” 

“Oh fuck.” Alex sits forward and stares at Henry. “Am I going to hate this dude even more than I already do?” 

Henry breathes out a laugh. “Probably.” He takes a beat to continue. “So, my dad got sick and passed during my last year at Eton. And I — quite reasonably, I would say — was a mess about it.” 

“Well, yeah. It was your  _ dad,  _ for crying out loud. I think it would be weird if you weren’t a mess about it.” 

“Thank you. Well, anyway, we all got into Oxford and I tried to focus on that to feel better. It was everything I’d wanted. And I was getting to do it with Colin and James as well. And Daisy and I got on quite well. It all just felt like a good distraction from what I’d lost. Or at least I thought.” As Henry pauses, Alex grimaces. He’s waiting for the punch he knows is coming in the story. 

“Anyway, apparently I wasn’t dealing with things quite as well as I thought I was. Colin was cheating and he blamed me for driving him to cheat.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“He said I wasn’t really giving him what he needed so he had to find it elsewhere. He seemed to find it perfectly rational.” 

“What the fuck is wrong with him?” 

“A sentiment echoed by me, my sister, and Pez since it happened,” Henry admits. “But he had an issue with me trying to deal with my grief instead of only focusing on him. And the worst part is, I thought I  _ was  _ focusing on him. I thought that was what was getting me through it. But apparently it wasn’t enough. He blamed me, so he couldn’t see why I wanted him out of the house. I still don’t know if James and Daisy just truly didn’t want to take sides or if they agreed with Colin, but either way, I didn’t feel welcome in my own home. So I left. And eventually I got as far away from them as I could. London wasn’t far enough, so America had to happen.” 

“Henry...that’s just...that’s awful.” 

“Yes, it was,” he agrees. “So, the thought of going back to England and seeing them, of having to see Colin again...it just stresses me out. I was terrified that if I went alone, they’d try to tell me I’d made a mistake and act like they were being such good friends by taking me back in or something. But now, with the idea of going with you, I’m terrified of them seeing through it all and it leaving me feeling utterly pathetic.” 

Alex opens his mouth and Henry cuts him off. “And yes, I know that just proves your point that we should be meeting before we go over so we can make our story solid. But meeting with you makes me think of seeing them again and it all just brings it back up. I wish I’d just been stronger and said no to them, but I couldn’t and now I’m stuck in this position.” 

He looks over at Alex and he’s sitting there silently. There’s a look on his face that Henry can’t read. Spilling all your shit to someone and having them sit there silently is not ideal. 

“Are you good at trivia?” Alex asks, confusing Henry. 

“What?” 

“Trivia? You any good?” 

Henry sputters out a response. “Er, I suppose so.” 

“Great. I go to a trivia night on Mondays, would you be interested in joining my team? It’s me, my sister, our friend Nora, and we had one other person but they dropped out. We need a fourth. You in?” 

He’s trying desperately to see how this relates. “Sure,” he says halfheartedly. Admittedly, it does sound fun, but he’s not sure where the question came from. 

“Awesome! You’ll love June and Nora. Oh, June is my sister’s name, by the way. It’s at a bar in Tribeca.” 

“Look, that sounds fun, but I don’t —” 

“You’re not meeting me to try and get to know me so we can sell our fake romance to the people at the wedding, you’re just coming to trivia. Honestly, you’re helping us out. We really do need a fourth.” Alex smiles at him like he’s solved everything. Weirdly, Henry thinks he might have. 

“Well, I’ll do my best,” Henry offers. 

“That’s all we can ask.” 

“Look, about earlier, I am very sorry for snapping at you like that.” 

Alex shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. Honestly, I shouldn’t have introduced myself as your boyfriend. I was just already kind of irritated that you wouldn’t answer me back, so I thought I’d irritate you a bit. Super mature, I know.” Henry chuckles. “But honestly, even after the wedding, you can use me and lie to get out of stuff. You know, like ‘oh, sorry, I can’t go to that work get together. My boyfriend and I have plans.’ It’ll work just fine. I can still stop in and see you to keep up the ruse. You work at a nice bookstore.” He grins and Henry melts a little bit. 

“Well, that’s a very kind offer. I’ll let you know.” 

“Happy to help,” Alex says. “And for the record, I won’t pull any of that shit in England. Especially now that I know the full scale of asshole that this dude is. I mean, I wouldn’t have done it before, but especially not now. You know?” 

Henry smiles back at him. “I do and I appreciate it.” 

“I thought maybe —” Alex stops himself and takes a breath. “I thought maybe when you wouldn’t return my email about meeting up that you didn’t think I would do a good job at the, uh,  _ event.  _ I think that was why I just ambushed you.” 

Henry feels like a jerk. “I’m sorry. I haven’t really ever had to tell someone the whole story. And I don’t think I realized how much I was dreading all of it, even the stuff leading up to it. If you’d still like to go, I would really appreciate it. But I also understand if it’s easier not to.” 

“Oh, I’m going,” Alex replies instantly. “I may just punch your ex at some point over that week. It seems like he really deserves it.” 

Henry laughs, shaking his head at Alex. “I think I’d like to see that. I mean, you’d have to wait for something to warrant a punching.” 

“Seems like it’ll happen,” Alex says with a confident look about him. 

“Probably.” 

Alex jumps up and Henry wonders for a second if he’s going to ask him to leave now. Instead, Alex walks into the kitchen and comes back bearing two beers. He extends one to Henry and he accepts with a smile. They both take a drink before one of them speaks again. “So, what’s your major?” Alex asks. 

“Literature.” 

He laughs. “Ah, I should have known. It all fits together.” 

Henry hides his grin behind his beer bottle. “You?” 

“Government. With a minor in History.” 

“You seem like a glutton for punishment,” Henry teases. “Of course, I knew that from the moment you answered that blasted post.” 

Alex laughs again and Henry tries not to swoon at the sound. “Maybe I just thrive on drama.” 

“Yes, well, I can’t say that surprises me.” 

A serious look crosses Alex’s face. “Would it make you more comfortable if I started talking about my shit now? All my drama?” 

Henry smiles at him. “I don’t think so. But I may take you up on that later, if that’s alright.” 

“Only seems fair.” 

They drink on and carry a companionable conversation. It feels deceptively easy to talk to Alex. That could be both a good thing and a bad thing for Henry, but for now, he just hopes that means they’ll be convincing when the time comes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it!


	4. Trivia Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for my absence, this month has been atrocious. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Henry’s grabbing his keys and rushing out the door before Pez can make any comments. He’s not fast enough. “You look hot. Where are you headed?” 

With a sigh, Henry turns back from the open door, knob in hand and looks at him. “Out.” 

Pez frowns. “Why so secretive?” 

“I’m just going out. It’s nothing special.” 

“Henry…” 

“I’ll see you later. Bye!” Henry bolts from the door and locks it behind him. He knows if he gets out of the building fast enough, he won’t get cornered by his friend. The topic of Alex and the wedding has not come up yet. Pez has somehow just never asked him if anyone replied to his posting. Maybe he thinks no one has and he feels bad giving Henry hope of not going alone. Still, Henry can’t admit to him that the person going with him is the very person that Henry was obsessed with once they moved here and he started classes. 

He tries to push the idea of how Pez will react to the back of his mind. It’ll be hard enough just meeting two of Alex’s people — especially with one of them being his  _ sister.  _ There’s a faint worry of getting too tangled up in Alex’s life. Surely when this is all over, Alex is going to be done with Henry. He appreciates the effort he’s putting in now, but Henry can’t imagine that he’d want to see him again. 

And there Henry will be, with the idea of how it felt to play-act as Alex’s boyfriend, spend time with his friends, and be in Alex’s space. Henry’s going to be fucked by the end of this, but he’s rolling with it and trying not to dwell on it. 

He’s walking down the sidewalk toward the bar Alex directed him to. Watching for signs on the buildings, he almost misses Alex standing out front until he starts waving at Henry. He extends an arm and waves back as he catches up to him. 

“You made it!” Alex cheers. 

“I’m here.” 

“Okay, so June and Nora are inside. I just wanted to catch you before you meet them,” Alex says. Henry nods, wondering if this is to brief him about them or to make rules for him. “They can be a lot, just a fair warning. But also, I haven’t told them about the wedding or England, so maybe let’s just keep that between us.” 

Henry nods, ticking boxes in his head, answering questions about what this arrangement really is for Alex. After all, he’s been very vocal about his want of a free trip. “Got it.” 

“They’d just give me a lot of needless shit for it, so I haven’t told them,” Alex explains. “But anyway, that’s all I wanted to say. I grabbed a beer for you when you said you were a few minutes away.” 

He turns and leads Henry inside. It’s a nice looking place, full tables all around as everyone waits for trivia to begin. Alex gestures to a seat for Henry and he takes it as Alex introduces him to the team and the team to him. 

“Henry, it’s so good to meet you,” Nora says, shaking his hand vigorously. “Honestly, I didn’t really know Alex had friends outside of the two of us.” 

Alex chokes on his beer and Henry feels more at ease. “Friend might be a strong word,” he teases, winking at Alex. 

Both girls laugh. “So how do you two know each other? I know you told me, Alex, but I can’t remember,” June says. She turns to Henry. “He talks so much, eventually you just tune him out.” 

Henry laughs, though he can’t imagine ever tuning Alex out. “We had a class together,” Henry tells her. 

“Yeah, my literature class,” Alex chimes in. “Henry really enjoys literature. He probably talked the most of everyone in that class.” 

With a bashful smirk, Henry shrugs. 

“Shocking that you have a class where you don’t hold that title,” Nora retorts, looking at Alex. He shakes his head at her. “Henry, I’m hoping if Alex invited you that means you’re really smart and are going to help us win.” 

“Here’s the breakdown,” June tells him, sitting forward. “Nora takes anything math or numbers related. Alex takes all the political and current events.” 

“June, the human tabloid machine takes all the gossip and celebrity items,” Alex interrupts, shooting her a look. She simply shrugs.

“Sounds like an even grouping,” Henry says. 

“Our last guy chimed in when he could, but he didn’t do much for us. We come here every Monday and we love it and are pretty good at it,” Nora says, “but we’ve never gotten that top seed. Forever second place.” 

“Do you get any special prize for second place?” 

“I mean, you get five dollars off your collective tab, but that’s not much with this group,” Nora replies. “Plus, there’s no real glory. It’s runner up. Just a silver medal. Who remembers the second placers?” 

Henry takes a sip of his beer. “Mark Spitz, Shawn Johnson, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Carl Lewis, Ryan Lochte —” 

“Holy shit,” Alex says, his jaw dropping. 

“Alex, I feel like you finally brought us a good one,” June adds, staring at Henry in awe. 

Nora ignores them. “How dare you compare our precious trivia team to  _ Ryan Lochte,  _ you son of a bitch?” 

Henry throws his head back and laughs. “My apologies.” 

“How do you know all that?” Alex asks. 

Henry shrugs, taking another sip of his beer. It’s pretty good. He has certain feelings about Alex picking it out for him. “I just enjoy the Olympics.” 

They’re clearly about to ask him more questions, but the emcee takes over and calls attention to the bar. He explains the rules — or maybe reminds them. They’ll compile their answers and turn them in at the end of each round. June takes the paper from the person walking around and hunches over it like a determined woman. It’s entertaining to Henry to see how intense they all get about trivia. 

Questions start being asked in a mixture of topics and Alex and Nora get in a number of whisper fights just in the first round. Each time, June looks at Henry, silently saying  _ Welcome to my hell.  _ Henry thinks they’re doing pretty well so far. They’re on the last question of Round One. 

“Who is the longest reigning monarch in England?” 

“Queen Victoria,” Henry says immediately. 

“Are you sure?” Nora asks. “I thought it was the current one.” 

“Queen Mary isn’t there yet,” Henry insists. 

“I swear I just saw something about her being the longest reigning monarch now,” Nora continues. 

“Oh my God, Nora, he’s literally from there,” Alex reminds her. 

“So? Just because you know all your crazy facts about government doesn’t mean everyone does,” she argues. 

“Believe me, I know I’m right,” Henry tries. “It’s Queen Victoria. Write it down, June.” He’s gotten to the point of fighting for his answers. 

“I don’t know that I believe you, Henry. What if Queen Mary passed that milestone in the time that you’ve been living in America?” 

“Believe me, she hasn’t!” He’s getting a bit heated. 

“Why should I believe you?” 

“Because technically, she’s my great aunt,” Henry fires off. He watches as all three of them freeze, June and Alex’s heads turning slowly toward him. 

“What?” June and Nora say in unison.

“Excuse me?” Alex says as well. “Oh my god, that’s why you went to that super pretentious prince school, isn’t it?” 

“Just write down Queen Victoria,” Henry urges, wishing he’d kept his head. June writes it down but the others continue to stare at him. 

There’s a short break after Round One and apparently, it’ll be spent interrogating Henry. 

“You’re related to the sitting queen of England?” Alex asks. “How has this never come up?” 

“We’ve had other things to talk about,” Henry dodges. 

“Wait, so do you have a title? Are you in line for the throne?” June asks. 

“Good question, June,” Nora agrees. “How many people have to die for you to become King?” 

Henry coughs. “No title. I’m not in line for the throne. I’ve really only met the Queen once. Well, maybe twice. It’s not like I’m anywhere close to the throne. I’m a regular person.” 

“Not quite  _ regular, _ I’d say,” Alex retorts. Henry rolls his eyes and takes a long pull of his beer. This is why he never tells people that he’s related to the Queen. “Okay, so like, what’s the family dynamic?” 

He sighs a bit before he tells them all. “So, my grandmother — my mother’s mother — is the Queen’s younger sister. They are not close, though. My grandmother fell in love with a commoner, a divorced commoner at that. They deemed him unfit for a princess and she said “fuck it.” So she renounced her title and went to live a normal life with my grandfather. None of us have titles or spend any time with the Royal Family. But, the Queen did come to my grandfather’s funeral. My grandmother was irate. She thought she did it as a way to make a comment on the difference of their lives.” 

“Your grandma sounds awesome,” June says. 

“She is,” Henry agrees. 

“Wait, why don’t we know about this? I feel like a princess giving up everything would be a big story.” 

“Well, she wasn’t the only spare. There were three girls. Mary is the oldest and had already ascended to the throne when my grandmother met my grandfather. Their sister still would have been the one to take the throne if Mary had been unable to rule. And frankly, my grandmother wanted nothing to do with it.” 

“God, the stories your grandma must have of her life,” June muses. 

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it. She loves to sit and share wild stories of growing up in a palace and being a princess. But with every story she tells, she promises us that her regular life with our grandfather has been the best part of her life, even without the riches of the monarchy.” 

Alex shakes his head. “That’s insane. I can’t believe you’re like, quasi-royalty.” 

“I’m not royalty at all, actually,” Henry corrects him. 

“But like, you almost are,” Alex tries. Henry just shakes his head at him. “What does the Queen think about the fact that you’re gay?” 

Nora and June’s heads whip over to look at him. “I doubt she knows or cares,” Henry says, watching the others carefully. 

“You’re gay?” June asks, looking from Henry back to Alex. There’s a raise of an eyebrow that Henry’s trying to understand. 

“Er, yes.” 

“Cool. I’m bi,” Nora says. “Just like Alex.” 

Henry’s eyes not so subtly cut to Alex. He’d wondered, he’ll admit. A straight man likely wouldn’t sign up to pretend to be another man’s boyfriend just for a free trip. There have also been little moments that made Henry keep wondering. Confirmation is nice though. Not that anything is automatically going to happen just because Henry is gay and Alex is bi. But still...it’s nice to know. 

Alex stares back at him and just shrugs. He takes a sip of his beer, turning to look in another direction. 

Watching him look away is a different type of confirmation. It’s the reminder that nothing really is going to happen just because they both happen to like men. The key would be that Alex would have to like Henry. 

Thankfully Round Two starts and they get going again. The questions are a perfect distraction from the fact that Alex isn’t really looking at Henry anymore. In the break between Round Two and Round Three, June is talking to Henry and he watches as Nora takes out her phone and sends a text. Alex’s phone lights up on the table. He grabs it and reads it before looking over at Nora and shaking his head. Henry turns back to June, not wanting to know what he’s spying on. 

Round Three begins and it’s not as much of a distraction. Henry wonders if he’s done something to bother Alex. Frankly, all he did was  _ look  _ at him. He’s not sure how that counts as something. It’s frustrating, not knowing what changed in such a short time. 

There’s some question about mexican food and Nora starts talking about needing to go to their favorite place. “Henry, have you been there?” she asks. 

He shakes his head. “No. I’ve never actually had Mexican food.” 

Alex’s head whips in his direction, his eyes trained on him. “Wait, what?” Apparently that’s enough of a statement to make Alex pay attention to him again. Who knew? “You’ve never had Mexican food?” 

Henry almost feels intimidated by the look of the three of them. “No. I...well...there’s not much Mexican food in England. Certainly not much that’s good. And I haven’t ventured out to try it.” 

Alex gapes at him. “Well as a half-mexican man, I’m afraid I can’t let this stand. We’re getting Mexican this week.” 

“Oh...er, alright,” Henry is baffled by the sudden change back in Alex. 

They are back to answering questions and it’s like Alex didn’t spend a round and a half straight up ignoring Henry. It’s a bit of emotional whiplash, but he’ll manage. 

Henry gets himself another beer in between Rounds Three and Four. As he sits back down, he says, “This is a lovely bar. It reminds me of a place I used to like to go in London.” 

“Must be a cool place then,” Alex says. 

“Mm. It’s in Blackfriars. We could take a daytrip to London if you’d want to visit it,” he says without thinking. It’s not until Nora and June get confused looks that he realizes he’s done exactly what Alex didn’t want him to do. Maybe he shouldn’t have gotten the fourth beer. 

“Henry, with the smarts you’ve been showing this evening, I’d imagine that you’d know that you can’t just day trip to London from New York,” Nora tells him. 

Henry laughs and nods at her. “I suppose sometimes I just forget where I am.” 

“No, he’s actually referring to the fact that we’re going to England together this summer,” Alex says. Henry watches him, wondering if he’s pissed at Henry, wondering why he told them when he instructed Henry not to. Either way, he’s about as shocked as the girls are. 

“Wait, we’ve never met Henry before tonight, but the two of you have already planned a trip together?” June asks. Alex nods. “Why did you not say anything?” 

Alex just shrugs. “It came together kind of recently,” Henry covers. He’s not sure what Alex is doing, honestly. 

“So, what are you two going to be doing in England?” Nora asks. 

“Oh, I mentioned that I —” Henry starts to lie. He’s cut off by Alex. 

“We’re going to a wedding of an old friend of Henry’s.” 

Both girls are looking at Alex and Henry takes a very long pull of his drink. “Well...that sounds fun,” June finally replies. 

“It’ll probably be a bloody nightmare, but it’ll hopefully be better with a friend,” Henry offers. 

“Henry’s ex is going to be there,” Alex tells them. 

“Oh shit,” June says. 

“Alex! You should pretend to be Henry’s boyfriend!” Nora suggests, an excited look on her face. 

Henry chokes on his beer, coughing violently. “That’s...er...kind of the plan…” he says once he’s recovered. 

“Well that’s a solid plan,” Nora says with an approving nod. 

“Wait, that’s really what you guys are doing?” June asks. She’s got a look for Alex and Alex discreetly shakes his head at his sister. 

“It’s the perfect plan,” Nora insists. “It shows that Henry left England and found a hot American to bring back and shove in their face. And Alex is perfect for that role.” 

June opens her mouth to say something but the last round begins. Unable to pull out his phone, Henry mouths “Sorry” to Alex. He just shakes his head in reply. 

Henry has the sinking feeling that he’s messed things up again. First, it was snapping at Alex. Now, it’s making things awkward between them. He doesn’t know why he can’t just handle all this like a normal person. Anyone else would likely just manage a fake dating situation with ease. Henry has to stumble his way to each new step. 

After the final round, there’s a wait while they tally the points. Their table is silent and Henry can’t help but feel like he’s responsible for bringing down the mood. As he looks closer, each of them is watching the emcee very carefully. They’ve been doing quite well. He hopes they’re just quiet in anticipation for the announcement of the winners. 

“And our winner, by two points is…” June clutches Henry’s hand on one side and Nora’s hand on the other side. He sees that she grabs Alex’s as well. “3 Geniuses and Alex!” 

“Yes!” June and Nora yell in unison. 

Henry claps his hands and accepts June’s hug. 

“Wait, that was our team name?” Alex says, looking annoyed at them. 

Nora chuckles. “Yep. I think we’re gonna keep it.” She walks over and puts her arm around Henry. “And I think we’re going to keep you too. Now that you’ve helped us win, you obviously can’t leave.” 

Henry laughs. “It was fun. I’ll be back if you’ll have me.” 

“Then you’ll be back,” June says. “You’re now officially part of the team.” 

They celebrate their victory for a while before Henry says his goodbyes and leaves. Alex is at the bar, explaining that his tab is covered, so Henry just waves to him and walks out the door. The nice thing to do would probably have been to wait, but it’s been a strange night. It’s been fun, but strange. And Henry’s not fully convinced that things aren’t weird with Alex now. 

He’s a few doors down from the bar when he hears his name being called. Turning around, he sees Alex chasing after him. 

“You just left?” he asks. 

Henry shrugs. “Well, I didn’t have to pay my tab,” he jokes.

“Everything okay?” Alex asks. 

Henry watches him for a moment. “You tell me.” 

“Did you have a good time? You don’t have to come back again if you didn’t,” he says. “You can ignore June and Nora.” 

“I had a good time,” he promises. “Did you?” 

“Well, we won, so…” 

“Look, I’m sorry for accidentally mentioning England,” Henry says, trying to address the elephant on the sidewalk. “I was prepared to just lie. You didn’t have to —” 

“I never keep secrets from them anyway. Once you said it, I just decided it was easier to be honest. If I disappear for a week at the end of June, they’ll know something’s up.” 

“Are you sure?” 

Alex nods. “Yeah. For sure. Don’t worry.” 

“Nothing else you’re mad at me about?” Henry ventures. He’s not honestly sure why. 

“Yeah, actually,” Alex says, looking down at his feet. Henry tenses, wondering if Alex will admit why he briefly ignored him earlier. “I’m mad that you’ve never had Mexican.” 

Henry stares at him. “What?” 

“Like I said, I can’t let it stand. What are you doing Wednesday for dinner?” 

“Are you serious?” 

“Yes. Henry, you have to try it. Even if you’ll probably burn your bland-ass English tongue.” 

“I’ve eaten spicy foods.” 

“Sure,” Alex jokes. “But seriously, what are you doing on Wednesday?” 

“Nothing, as far as I know. It’s my day off work.” 

“Well now you’re getting Mexican with me,” Alex says with a grin. “I’ll text you the place.” 

“Well, okay.” 

Alex claps his arm. “I’m glad you had a good time. See you Wednesday.”

“I’ll see you then.” Henry smiles at him nervously before turning and walking in the other direction. He feels all turned around this evening, like he’s got whiplash from Alex. Hopefully Wednesday will go better. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot more build up to the wedding part than I initially planned, but that means more chapters, so hopefully that's a good thing! Thanks for reading!


	5. A Mexican Feast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll echo the same apology here that I left on What Do I Know. I'm sorry this has taken so long! My life has gotten supremely crazy and busy and I just haven't had the time. I'm really excited about the chapters I have planned for this! Thanks for reading.

They’d agreed to meet at 6:30. Henry walks into the Mexican restaurant that Alex had texted him the name and address for. When Alex spots him, he stands up from the table and waves his hand. Henry winds his way over to him, trying to remind himself that this isn’t a date. His footsteps falter as he gets a look at the table. He looks between Alex and the table in front of him. “I thought you said 6:30?” 

Alex grins, gesturing to the table full of plates. “I did. What I didn’t say was that I was going to get here early and order ahead.” 

“What?” 

Alex sits down and arranges the plates. “I knew that if we got here at the same time, you would order one thing. Probably tacos or something basic like that. And you wouldn’t really get the full experience of eating Mexican food. So, I got here ahead of time and told them what I was planning. The waitress actually brought out a couple of people from the kitchen and I’m only paying for two of these plates. They loved that I am educating you.” 

“Dear God,” Henry says, eyes growing wide as he looks at all the food on the table. “There’s so much here.” 

“Yeah, well you have to at least try it all. And we’ll both probably have some leftovers, but it’ll be amazing. I’ll eat like a king for days.” He takes a sip of the drink in front of him and looks up at Henry. “I’m sorry, is that an offensive phrase for me to use? Eat like a king? You know, since you’re basically royalty?” 

Henry rolls his eyes. “You have no idea how much I regret sharing that.” When the waitress stops by, she seems very excited to meet Henry and gestures excitedly at all the food. Henry orders a drink and Alex orders both of them margaritas. Henry’s not quite sure what kind of night he’s gotten himself into. “Okay, what shall I start with?” 

Alex smiles and taps his fingers together thoughtfully. “I’m glad you asked.” He pushes a plate toward him. “Start with a taco.” 

“Well I’ve had tacos before,” Henry says as he picks one up. 

Across the table, Alex glares at him. “You said you’d never had Mexican food before.” 

“I didn’t know if it counted!” Henry defends. “I thought it might have been a bastardization of Mexican like how people think Brits only eat fish and chips. They think Mexican food is just tacos.” 

Alex tilts his head, appraising Henry. “You’re not totally wrong. Where did you eat these other tacos?” 

“Some cart a few blocks from campus?” 

“Run by a white person?” 

Henry grimaces. “Might have been.” 

“Bastardization indeed then,” Alex decides. “And also, tacos really are pretty basic. While delicious, they’re not the same as eating real Mexican food. There’s so much else to try.” He reaches over and grabs one, taking a large bite of it. 

“This is good,” Henry tells him. 

“I wouldn’t have brought you to a crappy place, Henry,” Alex replies with a raised brow. He shifts plates around and pushes another one toward him. “Okay, next try the tamale.” 

Henry is enjoying it. He’s incredibly conscious of Alex’s eyes on him, watching him as he eats, appraising him. “Please tell me you’re not just going to watch me eat the whole time. I’ll start to feel self-conscious.” 

Alex smirks and slides the tamale plate into the middle so he can cut a piece off and eat it. “So, tell me, what does Pez think of all this?” Henry tenses a bit. He still hasn’t told Pez that it’s Alex he’s been spending time with. That’ll cause a whole other conversation he’s not ready for. Alex waves his fork as he elaborates. “Meaning the whole situation with your old friends.” 

“Oh,” Henry says, tilting his head back and forth. “Well, he knew them. At least Colin and James. He was at school with us.” 

“Was he part of your pack?” 

Henry coughs out a laugh. “No. So, Pez and I became friends quickly during our first year at Eton. And I became friends slowly with James and Colin. They didn’t really care for Pez and Pez definitely didn’t care for them. I was just stuck in the middle of these people I cared about and wanted to keep in my life. I don’t think either side ever understood why I hung out with the other side.” With a small sigh, he continues. “To Pez’s credit, he never once said ‘I told you so’ when things went south with them. Well, and then fuck, he came here with me.” 

“And he didn’t talk you out of going to the wedding? Or being in it?” 

“He told me I was an idiot. And he’s right. But, no, he didn’t. I guess the ad was his way of helping me.” Henry shakes his head with a roll of his eyes. 

“And you said he couldn’t go with you because they know him?” 

“Yes,” he says with a nod. “They’d know it was a cover. It would be so much easier if I could just take Pez.” 

Alex gives him a look, almost a wounded, maybe a bit offended look. “Wow, thanks.” 

Henry shoots him a look in return. “Not having to put myself embarrassingly out there to have someone  _ fake  _ being my boyfriend would be a lot easier, I’m afraid.” 

“Probably less entertaining, though,” he says with a grin. 

Henry rolls his eyes, looking down at his plate. “Probably,” he mutters. 

Alex moves them past the moment by shoving another plate at Henry. They keep talking, less about the wedding and more just about whatever comes to mind. 

“I still can’t believe that you ordered all this food,” Henry says as he chews a bite of something he can’t remember the name of. It’s not his fault that listening to Alex say it in Spanish with his Texan drawl was a bit too distracting. 

Alex sits back and looks at the plates still untouched, like he’s deciding the best step to take next. “Well, you had to get a full scope of it. Honestly, when I said I’d text you a place, I almost just told you to come to my apartment. I could have worked with some of my family’s recipes.” 

“You would cook for me?” Henry asks. 

Alex just shrugs. “Yeah, why not? I’m good at it. Ultimately, I didn’t want the clean up.” Henry laughs with him, digging in when Alex pushes another plate at him. 

There are only two plates left when Alex says, “Okay, I think I need to see this dude. See what I’m up against, you know?” 

Henry frowns around a bite. “You’re not up against him. It’s not like I’m inviting you so I don’t go back to him. I just don’t want him to think I’m sad and lonely without him.” 

“I get that,” Alex says with a nod, “But still, I think I need to see him.” 

Henry groans but pulls out his phone. He goes to facebook and finds a picture of him. Pez had tried to get Henry to block him and unfollow him so he didn’t have to see his face again, but some sick part of Henry won out and he couldn’t. Clicking on a picture, he turns his phone around and hands it to Alex. 

He stares at it for an uncomfortably long time before saying anything. Henry can’t help but wonder if he’s judging his taste in men. He always thought Colin was objectively attractive, but maybe not. Alex’s eyes flit up from the phone and look at Henry before looking back at the picture. Feeling itchy, Henry reaches out and takes a bite off one of the two plates left. Alex glances up right as Henry plops the bite in his mouth. 

“Wait, no!” he says, reaching out a hand. 

Henry stops chewing, staring at Alex with wide eyes. “What?” he asks around the food in his mouth. Alex watches him nervously and he starts chewing again. Suddenly, it hits him. His mouth is on fire. Alex can tell the moment he starts dying. “Oh, Christ!” Henry reaches for his water and starts gulping it down quickly. 

Alex raises his hand and flags down the waitress. Henry pays her no mind as she stops by the table. “Do you have any milk?” He can see the look Alex gives her and he imagines the two of them are silently judging Henry. 

“Am I dying?” Henry asks, making Alex laugh hysterically. He’s still clutching Henry’s phone in his hand, so he swipes to his camera and takes a picture of Henry. It takes everything in him not to flip off the camera. 

“I’m sending this to myself, this is too good. Also, that was mine. I hadn’t decided if I was going to share it with you or not. If you’d bragged about eating spicy foods, that’s when I would have given it to you.” Alex tries and fails to suppress a grin. “But you did it to yourself.” 

“You’re an arsehole,” Henry retorts, trying to pant through the fire in his mouth. The milk blessedly arrives and he chugs it. Alex takes more pictures and Henry ignores him. 

Once Henry finally recovers, Alex waves his phone at him. “Back to the point at hand, I’ve got to say, this is not how I pictured him.” 

“How did you picture him?” 

“Red horns? A tail? Cloven feet?”

Henry smiles, looking down at the table. 

“Not just a normal, moderately good looking guy.” 

“You think he’s good looking?” Henry asks, though he’s not sure why. 

“I’m not going to fake leave you for him. You’re far more attractive than he is,” Alex tells him casually, like he doesn’t know that all the muscles in Henry’s stomach are tensing at the realization that Alex considers him attractive. “Also, not to sound conceited —” 

“But…” Henry cuts in with a knowing grin.

Alex smirks back at him. “But...I’ve gotta say that I’m more attractive as well. Just saying.” 

“So, what? You think we’re going to come off as an attractive power couple?” Henry’s not sure what’s gotten into him. Maybe the spicy food burnt out the shred of sense he had left. 

Alex nods approvingly. “I think people are going to see us and be sad that we’re together. That we’re not into other people.” 

Henry taps his chin. “Interesting.” He takes a drink of his refilled water cup. “Honestly, I rather hope that’s how it goes. I’m so terrified they’ll see through it all.” 

Alex watches him for a moment before he jumps up and sits on the other side of the table with Henry. He grabs Henry’s phone again and clicks on the camera. An arm goes around Henry’s shoulder and Alex holds the phone in front of them. Henry looks over to see Alex smiling brilliantly before he turns his head and plasters on what he hopes is a convincing smile. At the last second, Alex leans his head against Henry’s and then clicks the button and takes the picture. Alex sits up and looks at the picture. 

Showing it to Henry with a smug grin, he says, “I think we can pull it off.” 

Henry stares at the two of them in the picture and wonders if he’d buy it if he didn’t know the truth. He’s not prepared for Alex to lean over again, taking another picture, this time pressing a kiss to Henry’s cheek. Henry’s laughing —nervously— as the picture takes. Alex laughs as he looks at the product and shows it to Henry. “Like I said, we’ve got this.” 

He walks back over to the side of the table. “I’m thinking though, that on the safe side, we should take a bunch more pictures together, like any convincing couple would.” 

“Who is going to be looking through my phone?” 

Alex gives him a look. “Gee, maybe a jealous ex who knows he fucked up, looking for any chink in the armor?” 

“Goodness. You’ve put a lot of thought into this,” Henry accuses. 

Alex shrugs. “With classes over, I don’t have much else to do but strategize.” 

Henry watches him, wondering how truthful that response is. Alex doesn’t give him much to work with. 

Alex orders them a plate of churros, though Henry isn’t sure he has room for any more food. With some coaxing from Alex, he caves and eats one, enjoying it immensely, even if he downplays it to Alex. 

As they’re walking out of the restaurant, Alex turns to Henry and watches him. “Thoughts?” 

“I think I’m going to wake up tomorrow 20 pounds heavier.” 

Alex rolls his eyes. 

“But also, it was incredibly enjoyable. Thank you for educating me in the ways of Mexican food. Now I’ll know what to get if I drag Pez here.” 

With a smile and a nod, Alex says, “Well that was the plan.” He tucks his hands in his pockets. “I’m glad you liked it.” 

They part ways with a plan to see each other at trivia the next Monday. Never during their class would Henry have imagined he’d be spending his free time with Alex Claremont-Diaz. 

He’s still musing on that as he walks in the door to his apartment, almost missing Pez standing in the door to the kitchen, watching him. “Where have you been?” 

Henry jumps as he drops his keys in the bowl by the door. “Nowhere.” 

Pez glares at him. “Come on, Henry.” 

The moment has come. He needs to tell Pez. If he tries to walk to his room, the man would just follow him. He plops himself down on the couch and looks up at his roommate. 

“I never told you, but...someone replied to the ad.” 

Pez’s face lights up. “That’s fantastic! So you were meeting him tonight?” 

Henry looks at his feet and shakes his head. “Not exactly. I’ve met him before. We were just hanging out tonight.” 

Pez walks further in the room, eyes on Henry. “How long ago did this man reply?” 

Now, Henry’s fiddling with his hands. “Er, the night you showed me the ad.” 

Pez’s jaw drops. “That was three weeks ago! How did you not share this with me? Tell me about him!” 

This is the part Henry’s been dreading. “Well, his name is Alex…” 

Pez laughs. “Lord, what is it with you and boys named Alex. You went on about that Alex in your damn lit class for  _ ages. _ And now this guy?” 

Henry’s mouth flattens into a thin line. “That’s actually the thing...it’s the same guy.” 

He’s staring at his feet and feels as Pez sits down next to him. “I’m sorry, what?” 

“It’s the same Alex. Alex from lit is also Alex, my fake date for the wedding.” 

“What are the bloody odds of that?” 

“I have no idea. I thought I was hallucinating when I saw his name.” 

“This must be your dream come true,” Pez says with a grin. 

“Hardly.” 

“How is it  _ not  _ your dream come true?” 

“Because it’s all fake! He only replied to the ad because of the all expenses paid trip to England.” 

There’s a silence between them for a while. Pez’s eyes are on Henry, appraising him. “How many times have you seen him? You said this wasn’t the first time.” 

Henry shrugs noncommittally. “This might be the, er, fourth time, I suppose.” 

“Hmm. Interesting. Because I would think that if he were only in it for the free trip, he’d have said ‘Cool, see you at the airport.’ But he’s spending time with you. Who initiates it?” 

“Him,” Henry mutters.

Pez shakes his head at Henry. “Open your eyes, Henry. Dream. Come. True.” 

“Nope,” Henry says, getting up from the couch and walking away. 

“You just watch!” Pez yells after him. “I’m calling it!” 


	6. T-2 days

Henry is walking out of work when his phone rings. Pulling it out of his pocket, he’s surprised to see Alex’s name on the screen. “Hello?” 

“Henry!” Alex says. “You’re just getting out of work, right?” 

Henry glances back at the bookstore and down the street, wondering if Alex is around. “Er, yes. How did you know?” 

“You shared your schedule with me, remember?” 

Remembering the time that Alex  _ pressured  _ him into sharing it so he would know when they could hang out, Henry says, “Oh, right.” 

“Do you have anything else you’re doing tonight?” 

Henry’s walking in the general direction of his apartment, his steps slowing. “Not really.” 

“Great, I need you to come to my apartment.” 

“Why?” 

“Because I need your help.” 

“With what?” 

“It has to do with the wedding. I need you to do me a favor that will in turn help me do you a favor, okay? Can you come over?” 

With a sigh, Henry turns in the other direction. “Fine. I’ll be there soon.” 

“Thanks, Henry!” 

He’s not quite sure what this is going to be as he steps up to Alex’s door and knocks. Alex eagerly opens the door, a broad grin on his face. “You got here quickly.” 

“You don’t live that far away.” 

“Come on in.” 

Henry follows Alex in and looks around, trying to find the reason he asked him here. “So, what’s up?” 

“We leave for England in  _ two days,  _ Henry.” 

“I know. It was all you could talk about at trivia on Monday. I thought Nora was going to punch you,” Henry informs him. 

“She did later, though I think that might have been for something else,” Alex says. “Anyway, I haven’t packed.” 

“There’s still time. We don’t have to be at the airport until 4:00 anyway.” 

“Yeah, but I need your help.” 

Henry grimaces. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those men that can’t pack for themselves. I’ll lose all respect for you.” 

Alex laughs and shakes his head. “No, not that. I’m worried that if I just pack for myself, people may think something’s up.” 

“What? I’m really not following that logic.” Henry is staring at Alex like he’s insane. He’s not convinced that Alex  _ isn’t  _ insane. 

“Okay, so what if I show up in what I’d normally wear for something like this and people take one look at me and think ‘What’s he doing with Henry? He’s not Henry’s type at all.’ Then the whole jig would be up.” 

Henry’s eyes widen. “You’re worried you’re not my type?” 

“I guess kind of. I just don’t want my clothes to be the thing that brings this all down around its ears. Surely, that’s going to be your shitty acting.” 

“Are you trying to get me to help you or not?” Henry retorts. 

“I’m helping  _ you  _ by doing all this, really,” Alex says, giving him a look. “I’m trying to help sell the facade.” 

“So, you really asked me here to help you pack?” 

“Yes. To help me pick out my clothes. I mean, if I don’t have the right clothes, we may have to go shopping,” Alex says, walking off toward his bedroom. 

“Oh fuck me,” Henry says to himself. 

“Hardly the time, Henry!” Alex calls back. “Now get in here!” 

His face feels hot at Alex’s remarks. He pauses in Alex’s living room, taking a few deep breaths before walking into Alex’s bedroom. Alex is pulling clothes out of his closet as Henry enters the room. 

“Feel free to sit on my bed,” he says, going through his shirts. 

“Your bed?” 

“The comforter’s clean. I promise.” 

“Okay, then,” Henry says, sitting down delicately on Alex’s bed. This is a situation he truly never saw himself in. He’s mentally cursing both Alex and Pez at the fact that he’s here right now — in Alex Claremont-Diaz’s bedroom,  _ on  _ his bed. Of all the daydreams he’d had, he didn’t picture this scenario of how he ended up in Alex’s bed. 

“Okay, so tell me about the weather in England in June. What should I bring?” 

“I’m pretty sure Google could tell you what the weather is like,” Henry whines. 

“Well, Google probably won’t tell me if I need a sweater or a jacket for a cool morning before the sun rises in the sky and turns the day hotter. Google probably won’t tell me the best shoes to wear for the amount of walking we might end up doing. Google probably won’t tell me if it’s a stereotype for me to bring a rain jacket or not, based on the time of year,” Alex retorts, turning around from his closet and locking eyes with Henry. 

“I mean...some of that you could get from Google…” Alex glares at him and Henry relents. “Fine. Probably smart to bring a light jacket, just in case. We’ll be on the coast, so sometimes the air can be a bit chilly coming off the water.” 

“Wait, Brighton’s on the coast?” 

“Yes. Did I not mention that?” 

“Nope. If we’re on the coast, does that mean there are swimming opportunities?” 

Henry wrinkles his nose. “Yes. There can be.” 

“Well, gee, I’m glad I asked.” He turns and goes to his dresser, pulling open a drawer and grabbing a few different brightly colored swimming trunks. Turning around, he shows them to Henry. “Should I try these on?” 

“Please don’t,” Henry says, hoping he sounds annoyed and not a bit fearful of the reaction he’d have to seeing Alex in nothing but his swimming trunks. 

“Well, what if they don’t look good enough?” 

“I’m sure they’ll look fine, Alex. Clearly, if you bought them, you liked them enough. Just wear whatever you want. I think you’re overthinking this.” 

“Doubtful. This scheme is a delicate balance, Henry. We can’t be too careful.” He tosses all his sets of swimming trunks at his suitcase. Henry gives him a look. He shrugs. “I’ll fold them when I’m actually packing.” He grabs a shirt at random and a pair of pants, holding them together and giving Henry a significant look. “Okay, does this look okay? Does this look like something your boyfriend would wear?” 

Henry shakes his head at Alex. “Need I remind you that the last boyfriend I had wore a school uniform when I started dating him? And from what I recall at Oxford and have seen on social media, he really wears mostly Manchester United shirts and jeans. He’s not exactly a fashionable person. And I guess at 16, I didn’t really care if he was. I’m sure that’s fine.” Henry hopes he can just convince Alex to pack on his own and let Henry go home. This was not what he was expecting for his evening. 

“Okay, so then, by that standard, clearly I need to dress better than he does.” 

Henry groans, laying a hand over his face. “Alex, surely whatever you wear will be fine! I promise you. No one is going to be critiquing your clothing. I’m pretty sure that’ll be reserved for the bride and the bridesmaids.” 

Alex stares at him for a long time, clearly thinking through things. “Look,” he says, glancing down at his feet, “you’re always pretty well dressed and look put together. I just...I wanted to make sure we looked like we fit together. Like it would be believable.” He looks back up at Henry. “Is that so bad?” 

Henry sighs, feeling a bit like a jerk. Surely Alex doesn’t know the effect he has on Henry. Over the last few weeks, it’s been fun getting to know Alex better, but it’s also been hell. It’s done nothing but further reinforce the embarrassing crush that Henry continues to have on him. “No, that’s not bad,” Henry finally says. “I just don’t think anyone’s going to care that much.” He knows he shouldn’t say it, because he might reveal too much about himself, but he feels that for Alex’s sake, he has to continue. “Also, I’ve never thought you looked bad in the way you dress. You look good. I guess that’s why I don’t get why you’re doing so much for this.” 

Alex’s face softens a bit, a sheepish smile spreading on his face. He nods to Henry. “Well, thanks.” With a sigh, he continues, “I know I was the only one to reply, but I still just don’t want to let you down. These people sound like they’re the straight up worst and if I was the one who made you look bad, I would be mad at myself.” 

“Well, I still think you’re overthinking things...but I appreciate all the thought you’re putting into it.” 

Alex smiles at him. “I feel like it’s my duty to be the best fake boyfriend you’ve ever had.” 

Henry laughs. “Well, hopefully, you’ll be the only fake boyfriend I’ll ever have.” 

“I mean, I’m going to be pretty pissed if you need a fake boyfriend for something after this and you turn to someone else,” Alex says. “Clearly, I’ve proven my worth.” 

Henry shakes his head, feeling a smile cross his face. “So, you’re just going to be my standby date for everything I feel uncomfortable going to alone?” 

Alex grins. “I feel like we could set up some agreement like that. Mutually beneficial, of course. I have things to go to as well.” 

“You’re crazy, you know that, right?” Henry says with a laugh. Alex just shrugs and turns back toward his closet. 

After about an hour, Henry is nearly laying on Alex’s bed, a beer in hand that Alex gave him, and Alex is still trying to pick out clothes. 

“Wait!” Alex calls. Henry picks his head up and looks at him. “Oh my god, I found a flaw in the plan. Henry, do you use social media very often?” 

“Not really,” Henry tells him. “I mainly use it to keep up with other people. I don’t think I’ve posted anything since I moved to New York.” 

“Okay, so it probably wouldn’t be a red flag that you don’t have any pictures of your boyfriend on there?” 

Henry stares at Alex for a moment. “Who is honestly going to check that?” 

“Henry, you are staging a big return to a world that burned you. You don’t think that, at the very least, your ex is going to check up on us? Come on. Who do you spend time with? People absolutely stalk other people on social media. That’s basically what it’s for.” 

“How often do you post?” 

“Constantly,” Alex says exaggeratedly. “Which is why I’m going on private.” He pulls out his phone and taps around on things, switches to another app and taps on things again. “Okay, they shouldn’t be able to find me.” 

“I really think that you’re —” 

“I swear to god, if you say you think I’m over thinking things  _ one more time,  _ I am going to grab that beer and dump it on you,” Alex says. “I am a person who actively uses social media. I know what people do. It’ll look suspicious. I’m not overthinking things to go dark.” 

Henry stares at him for a moment, a bit surprised by Alex’s outburst. “Okay, then.” 

“Okay. Now, I just have one more thing I want your approval on. Give me a second.” He grabs something that Henry couldn't see and walks out of the room. 

Henry lays there for a bit, staring up at Alex’s ceiling, wondering how he got himself into any of this mess. Alex is a great person and he really appreciates the thought that he’s putting into this scheme. It feels like Alex is doing far more for it than Henry is. He worries that it’ll be almost  _ too  _ easy to show affection to Alex once they’re there. He worries even more that he’ll get caught up in the lie and start believing it himself. 

Alex is naturally open and shares everything. He’s friendly and fun and painfully attractive. Henry has every reason to be falling for him, but he can’t. But he also can’t really stop himself. Spending so much time with him over the last month — becoming a part of his world, meeting his family, and sharing his own life with Alex — has just been a lot. It’s becoming addicting. 

It’s not just trivia. After they got Mexican, Alex decided it was fine for them to hang out together. He still had it in his mind that he and Henry needed to have all these pictures together. So, they’ve spent Mondays together at trivia with Nora and June. And then usually once or twice throughout the rest of the week, they meet up again and just hang out. They try new restaurants. They wander around parks. They once sat at Alex’s apartment and critiqued the first two Harry Potter movies. 

Henry has gotten to the point that when he hasn’t heard from Alex in a while, he pulls out his phone and stares at it, wondering when the man will text him. And if it’s been enough hours, he’ll just text him first.

Playing up the dating ruse won’t be that hard because Henry already feels like he’s dating Alex, just without the parts of dating him that he’d like to do. And how do you tell your fake boyfriend that you’d like to kiss him senseless and not even go to the wedding that brought you two together? You don’t. 

He’s still brooding over his feelings when he hears Alex’s footsteps. “What do you think?” Alex asks. 

Henry sits up and is gobsmacked. He wasn’t sure what Alex was trying on, but he wasn’t expecting it to be a suit that fit him like it was made just for him. His eyes rove over Alex, knowing he needs to say something, but the man looks too good and Henry can’t speak. 

“Er,” he says before clearing his throat, “yeah, that looks good. Is that for the wedding day?” 

“Yeah, I was thinking so,” Alex says, walking in and standing in front of his mirror. “This is my favorite suit.”  _ For a good reason,  _ Henry thinks to himself. “I just thought it would be a good one to bring with me.” 

“Makes sense,” Henry says, watching Alex look at himself in the mirror. His eyes drift down and he sees the way the suit pants hug Alex’s ass. It’s too much. Henry has visions of ripping that suit off of Alex. He closes his eyes to try and shut them out. This is insane. He finishes off his beer quickly and jumps up from Alex’s bed. He feels hot and sweaty. The last person he needs to be around is Alex. “Well, if that was the last thing you wanted approval on, I’m going to head out.” 

“Are you sure?” Alex asks, turning around and focusing on Henry. “We could watch  _ The Prisoner of Azkaban _ .” 

Henry forces a grin on his face. “Tempting, but I need to pack as well.” 

Alex laughs, before saying, “Need me to come over and help?” 

Henry shakes his head. “I think I’ll be alright. I guess I’ll see you at the airport.” 

“Unless you wanna do something before then,” Alex suggests. 

“Maybe,” Henry says, feeling the need to just get out of the apartment. “I told Pez I’d spend some time with him before we left.” 

Alex nods and Henry swears he looks disappointed. “Gotcha. Well, then, I’ll see you at the airport.” 

“Sounds good,” Henry says, turning and walking from the room. He leaves his bottle on the kitchen counter and stalks to the door. 

“Henry,” Alex calls, stopping him right at the door. Henry looks over his shoulder. There’s a strange look on Alex’s face. “Um...thanks for the help.” 

Henry nods as he opens the door. “I don’t feel like I did all that much.” 

Alex watches him for a moment. “Nah, you did.” He clears his throat and nods to Henry. “Get home safe.” 

“Bye,” Henry says and walks out the door. He decides to walk back to his apartment instead of getting a car. Once this wedding is over, he’s going to be miserable and he knows it. He’s gotten far too used to being around Alex. He’s a bit worried about what it’ll be like when Alex is his touchstone in England. Will he only grow more addicted to the man’s presence? 

Somewhere along the way, Henry screwed himself over. But he’s not sure he wants it to end. 


	7. On Arrival

Henry’s hands feel a bit sweaty as he gets out of the cab. At the moment, he’s not sure what he’s more nervous about: seeing his old friends and Colin or spending an entire week pretending to be with Alex. He puts his carryon bag on his shoulder and pulls his suitcase behind him. Alex had suggested riding together, but Henry needed a few more minutes of solitude before throwing himself into the craziness he’d let happen. Walking into the airport, he mills around the check in and waits for Alex to show up. 

Not even five minutes later, Alex walks in looking travel ready and — unfortunately for Henry — very handsome. Alex spots him quickly, raising a hand and flashing a smile at him as he approaches. “Hey! You ready for this?” 

Henry shrugs, making a noncommittal sound. Alex laughs. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.” 

“That’s the spirit!” Alex cheers, clapping him on the back.

They walk forward to the check in together and stand in line. Alex approaches the desk first. He makes easy small talk with the woman at the desk — not that Henry is at all surprised. Alex could probably hold a conversation with a fire hydrant. 

Henry gets caught up in his own thoughts as Alex continues checking in. He can’t help but wonder how much Alex will charm all his old mates. Will they even believe that someone like him could be with Henry? He thinks of what he can do to help sell the romance better. The idea of casually draping himself around Alex — hanging on him, holding hands, touching him — it feels dangerous. Could he be making a case to both his old friends and Alex? 

“Are you trying to impress me?” Alex asks, snapping Henry from his thoughts. 

“What?” 

Alex holds up his ticket. “You put us in first class? What, did you use your nearly-royal money?” 

Henry stares at the ticket in Alex’s hand, not really processing. “I…” 

“Next!” The woman behind the desk flashes Alex a look and he steps aside. Henry steps up and gives everything to the woman. Sure enough, she confirms they’re in first class. Henry doesn’t understand it. He booked coach tickets. Frankly, he doesn’t have the money for  _ 2  _ transatlantic first class tickets. 

He joins Alex and they walk for the line to security. Alex keeps commenting on being first class and Henry plays along. Once they’re through security, Alex leaves his bag with Henry and runs off for the bathroom. Henry takes his one chance to make the call he needs to make before he spends the rest of the day with Alex. 

“Hello?” 

“Pez, did you upgrade us to first class?” Henry asks without preamble. 

A rich laugh comes from the other side of the phone. “It’s possible.” 

“Why? Why would you do that? Pez, I can’t afford it.” 

“I’m not an idiot, mate. I paid for it. Well, you did, but I already transferred the money to you.” 

Henry pulls the phone back and opens his bank app, ignoring Pez. Sure enough, the money is there. He’s so confused. “Why would you do this?” 

“You need to  _ woo  _ him, Henry. How impressed must he be to be flying first class? Be honest.” 

“Quite,” Henry replies begrudgingly. “But that’s not the point. The point is that you shouldn’t have done it. It’s dumb. This trip isn’t about wooing him, it’s about selling a fake relationship.” 

“Two birds, Hen, one stone.” 

Henry rolls his eyes. He turns and sees Alex walking from the bathroom. “I’ve got to go.” 

“Keep me posted! Don’t be afraid to make a move!” 

Henry doesn’t respond, he just hangs up. 

“Thanks for waiting,” Alex says, taking his bag back from Henry. “Should we get something to eat?” 

“You know airport food is dramatically overpriced.” 

“It’s part of the experience, Henry.” 

Henry sighs, but he adjusts his bag on his shoulder and follows Alex wherever he’s going. Per Alex’s  _ insistence,  _ they end up at the first class lounge. He tries to play it cool, but he keeps gawking at Henry. It’s Henry’s first time in the lounge as well, but he’s trying so hard to tamp down all his other feelings that even his excitement isn’t getting through. 

When the time to board their flight comes, Henry starts to tense more. Once they’re sitting in their (incredibly spacious) seats, he grabs the armrests and stares straight ahead. He’s not afraid of flying. He’s afraid of going back to England and facing people who humiliated him and made him feel smaller than he could have ever imagined. Seeing Colin again is no longer just an idea. It’s becoming a reality. For all the growth Henry’s made since he last saw Colin, he’s afraid he’ll still revert when he sees the man who betrayed him. 

A hand on top of his startles him out of his spiral. Henry looks at the hand and then over at Alex. He’s smiling at him encouragingly. “It’ll be okay,” Alex assures him. 

Henry sighs with a halfhearted nod. “I hope so.” 

“If it seems like they don’t believe us, I’ll just start full on making out with you,” Alex offers. “Try denying that.”

He forces out a laugh in reply, choking back the words: _ I wouldn’t be opposed to that. _

Alex pats his hand before he removes his own hand. “We’ve got this. I didn’t spend the last month with you for us to fail.” 

Henry frowns, not wild about that being the only reason Alex spent time with him. He keeps straddling the mental line between  _ I’m glad he’s taking this seriously  _ and  _ I wish he was wanting to spend time with me because of me. _ It’s a dizzying balance that keeps Henry feeling a bit off kilter. Either way, he’s glad he has someone as confident as Alex by his side. Likely, no one else without his insane amount of confidence could pull off a ridiculous scheme like this. 

Alex talks to him as the plane takes off and as they reach their cruising altitude. He chatters mindlessly and it’s a bit like a white noise machine for Henry. While still responding, it’s putting him at ease. He slouches a bit in his seat, trying to get comfortable. They are in first class, after all. 

Thankfully, Alex doesn’t want to talk the whole flight. As much as Henry genuinely does enjoy talking and spending time with Alex, he’d like to sleep at least some of the flight. Tomorrow, when they get to England, he’s going to have to face his literal demons. It’ll be nice to have some sleep in him before that. If he faces them tired and haggard, he probably won’t come off too well. Glancing over at Alex who’s settling into his seat to sleep as well, Henry’s glad he’s not doing this alone. No matter how complicated it is with his growing feelings for Alex, there’s no one else he’d want to be attempting this with. He thinks maybe he should mention that. Instead of doing so, he turns to face the window and puts his eye mask on, hoping to fall asleep quickly. 

He does end up sleeping. When he wakes up, he looks around the cabin a bit and turns to Alex. The man’s face is smushed against a pillow, his mouth open and drooling a bit. A small grin crosses his face. Knowing it would 1) annoy Alex and 2) make him proud that Henry would have “boyfriend proof” on his phone, he takes Alex’s picture, laughing softly to himself. 

Henry’s awake for about a half hour when Alex stirs. He takes in a deep breath and stretches — because they’re in first class and he can. Alex looks over at him and smiles sleepily. “Morning,” he says. 

“How’d you sleep?” 

“Honestly, I can’t usually sleep on planes. I think first class is going to ruin flying for me.” 

Henry laughs. “I agree. I’m not used to this much space.” 

Alex narrows his eyes at him. “You’re telling me that a near member of the royal family doesn’t fly first class all the time?” 

Henry rolls his eyes at him. “You really need to stop mentioning that.” 

“Nah, it’s a good fun fact about you,” Alex replies with a chuckle. He clicks on the screen in front of him, looking at the flight map. “We still have two hours left?” There’s a bit of a whine to his voice. 

“I’m sure it’ll go by quickly,” Henry says. “I think they’re about to come around with breakfast.” 

An excited expression crosses Alex’s face. “Good.” 

As Henry predicted, the rest of the flight does go by quickly. Soon enough, they’ve landed in Heathrow and are going through separate lines of customs. Henry ends up waiting quite a while for Alex to get through, while he just breezed through upon return to his own country. With a dramatic roll of his eyes, Alex stomps over to Henry. 

“That took  _ forever. _ ” 

“You’ll live,” Henry says with a small pat on his shoulder. “Good thing I didn’t book our train tickets ahead of time though.” Alex shakes his head at Henry and falls in line behind him, following him through the airport to catch their train. 

It’s another couple of hours of Henry’s stomach tightening with anxiety, but finally, they arrive in Brighton. Shockingly, it’s a sunny day greeting them. Alex gets out of their cab and smiles as he looks around. Henry wishes he felt that sunny optimism, that wonder for things. Instead, he just feels dread. He turns to head into the hotel they’ll be staying in and his body just grows more tense. It’s the first time they’ll have to stand in front of someone and claim to be dating. Henry feels the possibility of a panic attack lingering in the background. He thinks Alex would kill him if he actually broke down at the first opportunity to put their fake relationship on display. 

He might be right to do so. 

Henry pulls his bag up on his shoulder and grabs his suitcase. Alex walks up beside him in a similar pose. Somehow it surprises Henry when Alex reaches out his hand and takes Henry’s. He laces their fingers together and smiles at him when Henry glances over. With a little squeeze, he essentially says,  _ We’ve got this.  _

Henry hopes to high heaven it’s true. 

They walk to the check in and Henry talks with the person while Alex stares around at the lobby. “This is a nice little seaside inn,” he comments. He turns to the woman at the desk. “This place is very cute. Very picturesque.” 

She smiles politely. “Thank you, sir.” 

Henry turns to Alex with a grin on his face. “It’s just your mission to charm everyone you meet isn’t it?” 

Alex laughs, draping an arm across Henry’s shoulder. He leans in closer and says in a low voice, “It certainly is this week.” Henry looks over and meets his gaze, shrugging slightly in agreement. 

Right as they’re finishing up checking in, there’s a screech from across the lobby. Henry wheels around nervously and his eyes land on the bride walking his way, her arms outstretched and an excited look on his face. He plasters on a fake smile and starts toward her, tapping Alex on the shoulder as he leaves his side. 

“Henry!” she cries. Once they meet in the middle, she wraps him in a big hug. “It’s so bloody good to see you! Oh, I’m so glad you’re here!” 

Henry nods, that fake smile still on his face. “Yes, we are too.” He glances over at Alex and it’s the moment of truth. “Daisy, I want to introduce you to my boyfriend, Alex.” 

Alex, ever the charmer as Henry pointed out, smiles brilliantly at her and sticks out his hand for a shake. “Daisy, it’s so nice to meet you. Thank you for allowing Henry to bring me with him.” Once they’ve shaken hands, Alex wraps his arm around Henry’s waist. “I’d have been miserable without him for a whole week.” Henry looks over at Alex, hoping he looks like he’s in love and not just nervous. The feeling of his arm around his waist is more comforting than it should be. 

Daisy smiles — genuinely, Henry thinks — and waves off Alex’s thanks. “The more the merrier. We’re just excited for you all to celebrate with us.” She looks at the card in Henry’s hand. “You have your room, right?” 

Henry holds up the card as evidence. “Yes.” 

“Smashing. Just go settle in. Our kickoff event is for lunch. You’ve got an hour or so before we’ll all need to be over at the restaurant.” She parts with one last hug. “I’m so glad you’re here!” 

Alex chuckles as they walk off in the direction of their room. “She seems cheery.” 

“It’s her wedding week. Isn’t she supposed to be?” Henry asks. Alex nods with an agreeable look on his face. 

Henry keys into their room and gestures for Alex to go first. He walks past Henry with a mock bow of the head, grinning at him. Henry freezes just inside the doorway, staring at the room. 

“What the fuck?” he asks, slightly louder than he meant to. “Why the hell are there two beds?” 

Alex looks over at him, a confused expression on his face, blended with some other emotion Henry can’t quite read. “Isn’t that...a good thing? You know, given our situation?” 

Henry rolls his eyes. “Yes, of course for our fake relationship, yes, it’s good for us to not have to share a bed. But when you think of it from an outside perspective, they decided that my boyfriend and I were fine in fucking  _ twin beds.  _ That’s so bloody annoying,” Henry rants. “As far as any of them know, we’re a fully committed couple who came here to be together. And yet, they stuck us in a room like we’re at bloody boarding school.” 

Alex walks over to him and puts his hands on his shoulders, looking into his eyes. “Henry, I hear what you’re saying, but maybe let’s not focus on it. Okay? I’m sure it wasn’t intentional. Maybe they ran out of double rooms by the time they booked ours. Okay? And either way, it actually works out better for us, right?” 

Henry shrugs, feeling a bit foolish, but also quite defensive. “I suppose. I just don’t want to already think that the jig is up.” 

“I’m sure we didn’t get a single room because they don’t think our relationship is real,” Alex tells him in a calming voice. Henry hates that it’s working. “Look, we can dwell on this or we can chill out for a bit and then get ready to go face your ex and put on a good show. What do you say?” 

Henry nods, not meeting Alex’s eyes. He hopes Alex doesn’t think that he just wanted to share a bed with him. Honestly, it would have made things quite difficult for Henry if they had been. He just can’t get over the decision to put them in a single room, vs a double. His fear since the fake relationship scheme started was that someone would figure it out and he’d look pathetic. Does he already look that way to them? Did Alex even need to come with him? 

As he looks over at Alex, watching him start to unpack some of his stuff, Henry is again grateful that he’s here. If nothing else, Alex calms him down pretty easily. Henry’s going to need that going into seeing Colin. Today is going to be interesting. This whole week is going to be interesting. 


	8. Old Acquaintances

Henry walks out of the bathroom in his suit he’s wearing for the luncheon they’re about to go to. Alex sits on his bed, fiddling with his phone. There’s a small moment when Henry emerges where Alex looks up and stares at him for a second. The moment quickly ends when Alex clears his throat and holds up his phone. “I forgot to do something at the airport. Where’s your phone?” 

“My phone? Why?” 

Alex clicks his lock button and it shows his screen that is now a picture of the two of them. “You’ve gotta change yours too,” Alex tells him. 

“Seriously?” Alex fixes him with a look. Henry rolls his eyes and pulls his phone out of his pocket, handing it to Alex.

“You can do it. You just choose whichever one you want.” 

“You’re the one who thinks this is necessary. Don’t you feel the need to decide which one it is?” 

“It’s up to you.” 

Henry huffs out a breath. Part of him realizes that at the very least, Alex is distracting him from the idea of seeing Colin in a few minutes. He grabs Alex’s phone and looks at the one he chose, making sure they don’t change it to the same one. Looking through his pictures, he knows which one he wants to pick, but he thinks it’s maybe  _ too much.  _ With a shake of his head, he picks it anyway, setting his phone screen as a picture of Alex looking intensely at his favorite painting and explaining it passionately to Henry. He’d snapped the picture to make a point, but it ended up being one he’s stared at quite often since then. 

He sighs and shows his screen to Alex. “Happy?” 

Alex chuckles, pointing at it. “That’s a good one.” Standing up, he eyes Henry apprehensively. “You doing okay?” 

Henry shrugs. “I’m fine.” 

“It’s okay if you’re freaking out.” 

“I’m just nervous, I think.” Henry fiddles with his tie before looking up at Alex. “I’ll be fine. I promise not to blow the whole scheme today.” 

Alex laughs and claps his shoulder. “You won’t.” 

Together, they walk from their hotel room and find their way to the restaurant where the bride’s family is welcoming everyone. It’s a pretty fancy restaurant with large windows and high ceilings. Henry looks over and Alex is staring around the same as Henry was. It makes him chuckle to himself a bit. Alex glances his way and shoots him a smile. Without another word, Alex slides his hand into Henry’s and laces their fingers together. Henry squeezes his hand quickly in thanks. 

They walk further into the room, unsure if there’s a specific place they need to be. 

“Henry!” 

He whips over in the direction of his name and sees James walking toward them, a broad smile on his face. Immediately, the man pulls Henry into a hug. 

“And here I thought Brits weren’t huggers,” Alex mutters. Henry shoots him an amused look when he pulls back. 

“And you must be Alex,” James says cheerily. He sticks out a hand for Alex to shake. 

Alex shakes his hand and nods to him. “Oh, you already know my name. I can’t help but wonder what that means,” he jokes. 

James laughs. “It just means my fiancee has encouraged me to be an active partner in planning our wedding. She  _ encouraged  _ me to memorize our guest list.” 

“Well, that makes sense,” Alex replies. 

“So, you’re Henry’s boyfriend?” James asks, cuffing Henry on the shoulder. 

Alex looks over at Henry and smiles, grabbing his hand again. “That’s right, I have the honor of holding that title.” 

“How long have you two been together?” 

Henry freezes. They never established a background story. In all of Alex’s plans for how they were going to do this, they never fucking came up with a story. He’s starting to panic, but Alex opens his mouth and starts rattling off an easy story. 

“It’s been, just over a year,” Alex says easily. He looks over at Henry with a fond smile.

“How did you meet?” 

“We had a class together. Literature,” he starts. “I sat there mesmerized by his freaking accent. He was so smart and obviously stupid hot and I kept telling myself to talk to him. So finally, once, I worked up the courage to ask to study with him and he agreed. The whole time we were studying together, I kept trying to find the way to ask him if he wanted to go out and of course, I never did. But once class ended, I decided that I didn’t have another choice. I stopped him after our final and asked him to go out with me and the rest is history.” 

Henry watches him, wishing that were a true story. It would have been really convenient if when Henry was constantly thinking of Alex, he was doing the same in return. Plastering on a smile, he wraps his arm behind Alex’s back. Alex grins up at him and returns the gesture. 

“That’s so nice,” James says. There’s another man who comes up behind him. Henry vaguely remembers him. He’s maybe one of James’s cousins. 

“Henry, good to see you again, mate,” the man says. Clearly he remembers Henry’s name. He cannot recall the man’s name. 

“Yeah, you too.” 

“I was just getting introduced to Henry’s new boyfriend,” James tells him. 

“Hi, I’m Alex.” 

“Graham.” 

Henry tries to keep his face neutral as the light goes on in his head. Now he remembers the man. They got on somewhat well the times they actually interacted.

“So, James, you must be so relieved for it to finally be the wedding week,” Alex says. 

James sighs and shakes his head. “You have no idea.” 

“Yeah, I’ve heard wedding planning can just be insane.” 

Henry chuckles, thinking about Nora and June — Alex’s self-admitted only friends. “Who did you hear that from?” 

Alex looks at him and there’s a look in his eye, like he’s been challenged. “Remember, my cousin who got married in March, baby?” Henry ignores the name rolling off Alex’s tongue. “My god, did you drink  _ that much  _ at her wedding?” 

Henry laughs. Alex seems fully committed to this story. Henry decides to go in for the kill. They’re selling this relationship, right? Might as well make up some back stories. “Well, they did have an open bar. It would be rude to waste that opportunity,” Henry says. Alex laughs brightly, James and Graham joining in. Alex’s hand squeezes him quickly. He thinks it’s his way of saying  _ good job.  _

As they stand there talking for a bit — Alex clearly amusing the groom and his cousin — the moment that Henry’s been dreading approaches. Or rather, the  _ person  _ Henry’s been dreading approaches. 

“Henry, wow, it’s been a while.” Colin flashes him a smarmy smile and pushes into the group between James and Graham. 

Alex’s arm tightens around Henry’s waist, inadvertently bringing Henry closer into his side. He feels him squeeze his hand against his hip. Alex knows without saying anything that Henry needs reassurance. Once again, he’s incredibly grateful that Alex is here. 

“Colin, hello.” He looks over at Alex and wonders how douchey it is to just immediately introduce him. Ultimately, he decides he doesn’t care. “This is my boyfriend, Alex.” 

“Hi.” Alex smiles brilliantly, perhaps pretending that he doesn’t know what really happened. He sticks his hand out for a shake and Colin looks at it almost offensively. Finally, he reaches out and shakes Alex’s hand limply. 

“Hello.” 

There is clear tension in the air among the group. James clears his throat and starts talking about how nice it is to have everyone together for the week. Henry keeps his arm around Alex. He’s trying to pay attention to James, but his eyes keep flitting back to Colin. 

Daisy comes over a microphone and asks for James to join her at the front of the hall. He excuses himself and Graham leaves with him. Colin stands there for a moment and watches Henry and Alex. Henry’s nervous he’s going to stay there with them and try to make conversation. Thankfully, he turns and leaves without a word. 

Henry sighs dramatically, slumping a bit. Alex turns toward him and lays a hand at his arm. “I’ve just got to say, if his handjobs were as pathetic as his handshakes, it seems like you’re definitely better off without him,” he tells Henry. A loud laugh escapes him before he can stop it. He looks at Alex with wide eyes and an amused grin. “Just saying.” 

He shakes his head and laughs a bit more. “That’s quite the statement.” 

Alex gets a more serious look on his face and watches him closely. “Are you doing okay?” 

Henry takes a deep breath and nods. “I think so.” 

“Can I just say that I’m really impressed by your ability to just make up shit on the spot. And to think you let me say your acting was what would bring us down,” Alex says in a low voice. “That whole thing with the open bar was great. I think they’re pretty convinced that we’re a totally happy couple.” 

“Let’s bloody hope so,” Henry mutters.

“It seems like they’re going to start making speeches or something annoying like that, so what if you go find us a table and I’ll go get us drinks?” Alex asks. 

“Sounds like a good plan,” Henry agrees. 

“Great. Now, kiss my cheek,” Alex basically commands. 

“Excuse me?” 

“Just kiss my cheek,” he repeats. 

“Why?” 

“Because we’re trying to sell that we’re a loving couple. Just do it.” 

Henry stares at him. “You said we already sold them on it.” 

“Doesn’t hurt to  _ oversell,  _ right?” 

“I really don’t think that’s necessary,” Henry says. 

“Oh my god, Henry, it’s not like I told you to bone me in public. It’s a freaking kiss on the cheek.” 

Henry gapes at him for a second. “My god.” With a sigh, he says, “Fine.” 

“Great, let’s do this again, then. I’ll go get drinks and you go find us a table. Okay?” 

“Sounds good.” Alex looks at him expectantly and Henry leans in and gives him a quick kiss on the cheek. He pats his hand gently against Henry’s face before he walks in the direction of the bar. 

As Henry wanders over to a table, he realizes that the hardest part really might not be the  _ Colin  _ of it all, but instead the  _ Alex  _ of it all. With Colin, he can walk away, push him to the past, and try not to think of it. But with Alex, he’s all he thinks about. He’s his rock during this week and the person he’s supposed to be pretending to be in love with. Really, he just worries that he’ll be a bit too convincing, that it won’t be that hard to pretend. 

He’s sitting at a small table by himself until Alex walks over, a panicked look on his face. “Oh my god, Henry, I made a mistake.” Henry tenses, wondering how Alex is going to finish that. He nods for him to continue. “I don’t know your drink.” He puts down a whiskey and a martini. “I got you a martini. Is that okay?” 

Truthfully, Henry hates martinis. He stares at it before reaching out to take it. Alex can clearly sense his dislike of them. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I was going to get you red wine, but you’ve seemed nervous and I didn’t want you to spill on yourself.” 

Henry looks up at him, truly touched. “That’s...incredibly thoughtful of you.” 

“Thanks, but now I’ve gotten you a drink you hate. I guess I’ll drink it.” 

“No, it’s fine. I’ll drink it.” 

“Do you actually like them?” 

“Not particularly.” 

Alex groans and runs a hand down his face. “I’m sorry. I guess I just assumed you would. Probably all the freaking James Bond vibes you give off.” 

“What?” Henry asks with a laugh. 

“It’s probably just the British accent,” Alex replies with a wave of his hand. “I can go get you something else. I just feel like it’ll look bad if I don’t know what you drink.” 

“It’s fine, Alex, I’ll drink it.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“It’s no big deal. For reference, I do like red wine and also enjoy gin and tonics.”

“Good to know.” 

Henry goes to take a sip of it and stops, looking over at Alex. “Is this a gin martini or a vodka martini?” 

“Uh, a vodka martini.” Henry closes his eyes slightly and nods. “Why? Is that bad?” Alex asks. “Are you allergic to vodka?” 

“No, no, it’s fine. I just...I have a bit of a reaction to vodka, but it’s fine.” Henry waves him off. Still, Alex hovers. 

“Shit. What happens? Do you puke?” 

“No, it’s more of a personality reaction.” Alex frowns, his brow furrowed. “Well, I just might get a bit handsy.” 

Alex laughs. “Is it bad that now I want you to drink it?” 

Henry snaps his head over and looks at him. “What?” 

“Nothing,” Alex quickly mutters, taking a sip of his whiskey. 

He watches Alex but takes a sip of his martini. It’s not his favorite, but he’ll do it for appearances. 

Daisy comes over the microphone again and asks people to sit. They are going to speak a bit. Henry can only imagine what the bride and the groom have to say on the week before their wedding. There’s one other chair at the small table Henry picked out. 

Naturally, his luck doesn’t hold and Colin slides into the chair in front of them. Alex noticeably scoots his chair closer to Henry’s. Henry takes a sip of his martini and looks over in the direction of James and Daisy, hoping they’ll start their inane talking soon. 

“Henry, are you drinking a martini? You hate the things.” Colin stares at him.

Alex’s hand grabs just above Henry’s knee and squeezes. Henry lays his hand over Alex and pats it slowly. He’s telling him it’s fine. “Actually, I quite enjoy them now. Alex got me into them once I moved to New York. We went to this underground bar and the bartender had this grand mustache but he made some fantastic martinis. And ever since then, I’ve been rather fond of them.” The story earns Henry another squeeze on the knee from Alex. This time, he thinks it’s pride, not panic. 

“Hmmm…” Colin says in reply. He watches Alex like he’s his prey. “So, Alec, what’s your story?” 

“Well, it’s actually  _ Alex  _ with an x. Slightly more common a name. Plus, I just don’t really want to be associated with Alec Baldwin. Anyway, uh, as for my “story,” I’m a student at NYU and am dating Henry. What about you? You’re at Oxford, right?” 

“Not anymore,” Colin says, looking away. 

Henry feels genuinely shocked. “You left Oxford?” 

“You’re one to talk, Henry,” Colin fires off. “You also left Oxford.” 

Alex gets a look on his face like he’s determined to make things less awkward. “So what do you do?” 

“I work at a law firm. Well, really, I’m their messenger.” 

“Your dad’s law firm?” Henry asks, taking a sip of his martini. It’s going down smoother than he expected initially. 

There’s a glare from Colin before he says in a small voice, “Yes.” He turns his gaze back to Alex. “So what do you do?” 

“Like I said, I’m a student at NYU. But also, during the summer I do work on campaigns, doing what I can to help the right people get elected. It’s also conveniently flexible enough that I can go bug Henry while he’s at work,” Alex says with a laugh, poking Henry’s cheek. He shakes his head and grins at him. 

“Mm, how nice.” Colin seems deeply uninterested. The way he watches Alex throughout Daisy and James’s little speech makes Henry uncomfortable. 

He wraps his arm around Alex’s shoulders at one point, ducking his head close to his when he talks to him. “Do you think they’re going to have food?” Henry asks like it’s a secret. “They shouldn’t call it a luncheon if there’s no food.” 

Alex chuckles to himself, following Henry’s lead and keeping his head close. “We’re in England,” he basically whispers, “I assumed we’d be having high tea.” 

Henry laughs, leaning just slightly forward and pressing a kiss to Alex’s cheek again. Somehow it seems easier after the first time. Glancing back over, he notices Colin glaring at them. Henry simply picks up his martini and drinks the last of it, smiling at Colin with fake kindness. 

“Well, Henry, it is nice to see that you’ve made yourself so happy after you ran away to New York. Even if a real man would have stayed and kept going,” Colin says before grabbing his drink and walking away from the table. 

Alex looks livid and goes to stand, but Henry holds him back. He shakes his head and tells him to sit back down. The worst part is that Henry had been feeling good. Even if it’s all a lie, it had felt like a convincing lie. For a moment there, it didn’t even feel like it was a lie. He’d looked at Colin and hadn’t felt as much anguish and pain as he’d expected. 

Naturally, that had to end. 

When the waiter stops by, Henry orders another martini. Alex is watching him closely, but he’s pretending to be interested in whatever is on the other side of the room. After one drink of it, he feels too much. “I’m going to nip off to the loo. I’ll be back.” Alex nods, not stopping him. 

Henry walks into the thankfully empty bathroom. He stands at the sink and just stares down at the white porcelain beneath his hands. How is it that so much growth can feel wrecked with just one comment? This is why he was dreading coming back here. Even with Alex beside him, it still feels like he’s been stripped raw. He feels like he just found out about Colin’s betrayal, like he’s standing before him, watching him show absolutely no remorse. 

His breathing is coming a bit shorter and he’s trying to get it under control when he feels a hand at his back. Looking up in the mirror, he sees Alex standing there, a sad smile on his face. 

“I’m fine,” Henry tells him. 

“You don’t have to be,” Alex says in reply. “He’s a fucking asshole.” 

“Yeah,” he agrees. 

Alex rubs a hand up and down his back, letting him stand there in silence. Finally, he speaks. “Do you know what a real man actually does?” Alex asks. Henry looks up at him. “He gets out of a shitty situation when it’s doing nothing for him but hurting him. A real man gets as far away as he can from the people who hurt him. A real man moves on with his life, creates a new one in a place that’s good for him, and starts to live again.” He pulls at Henry’s shoulders and Henry’s surprised that he lets himself be moved. Alex turns him around and looks him in the eye, reaching up to push the hair off his forehead. “You’re so strong, Henry. From everything you told me about all of this. You’re so fucking strong. Don’t let him get back in your head. He’s an asshole who’s not worthy of your time. You’re so much better than him that it’s hard for me to understand how you were ever together.” 

Henry can’t hold his gaze and looks down at his shoes. He wants to believe what Alex is saying. Certainly, he hopes Alex actually means it. 

“You are so strong,” Alex repeats, moving Henry’s chin so he’ll look at him. “You hear me?” Henry nods, barely maintaining eye contact. Alex pulls him in to a tight hug and rubs his hand up and down his back again. “I hope you believe it,” he whispers, “because I really mean it.” 

Henry holds him tight and rests his head on Alex’s shoulder. “Thank you,” he whispers. “Thank you for coming here with me.” No one else is in here, but Henry doesn’t add  _ thank you for pretending with me.  _

Alex rubs his hand up and down his back again and nods. “Of course. Fuck these assholes.” 

Henry breathes out a laugh. He stands up a bit straighter and finally feels like he can look at Alex. “We should probably go back soon or they’ll think we’re doing inappropriate things in here.” 

Alex chuckles. “We could always let them think that,” he offers. “I could ruffle up your hair a bit, make it look convincing.” 

With a shake of his head, Henry laughs. “Maybe next time.” 

“Deal.” 

Alex holds out his hand and waits for Henry to take it. Hand in hand, they walk back out to the restaurant, ready to face the wolves again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I really hope you're enjoying this story! It's so fun for me to write.


	9. A Better Evening

When they get back to their room, Henry immediately throws himself down on his bed with a groan. Alex stands at the foot of the bed, looking at his with a sympathetic, yet critical expression. Neither one of them says anything, just silent, taking a moment. 

“What do you want to do?” Alex finally asks. 

“Nothing,” Henry whines. “I want to lay here and wallow.” 

“You could do that,” Alex says, distractingly loosening his tie. “Or...you could not let that asshole have one more night of you being miserable and instead, we could go do something fun.” 

Henry sits up slowly, eyeing Alex, his eyes going to the loose knot of his tie. “What did you have in mind?” 

“Well, it’s your first night back in England since you moved. So, what have you missed the most? Let’s go do it. Have you missed some food terribly? Let’s go find it.” 

He nearly gasps before saying, “Jaffa Cakes!” 

Alex frowns, his brow furrowed. “What in the hell are those?” 

“A wonderful snack,” Henry says, suddenly feeling a bit more chipper. “We’ll get you some too.” 

He wrinkles his nose in response. “I don’t know if I’d like them.” 

Henry chuckles a bit, nearly sure that an a American would probably turn their nose up at them. “No, I’m sure you’d enjoy them.” 

Alex reaches out his hands and Henry claps his into Alex’s, letting himself be pulled up from the bed. “Maybe we could go wander around first? Eat dinner? Anything else you’ve been missing?” 

“At the risk of sounding like a total cliche, I have missed fish and chips,” Henry says. “I went to a British-style pub in New York and it just wasn’t the same.” He grabs the clothes he’s going to change into and walks over toward the bathroom. At the last second, he turns around and looks at Alex. “Thank you.”

“Why are you thanking me?” 

“For making me get up. I’d have likely just sat here the rest of the day and moaned about how much I hate that bloody man.” 

Alex nods at him. “Well, like I said, he doesn’t deserve any more of your time.” 

Henry smiles at him before walking into the bathroom. 

They walk around a bit, making random turns and going nowhere specifically. Alex talks about going to visit his grandparents in Mexico and how they’d wander around just like this. Henry has such an urge to take Alex’s hand and walk through the town hand in hand. Instead, he puts his hands in his pockets. 

After walking for a while, both of them starting to feel their jet lag, they find a small restaurant near the water. After ordering their food, —fish and chips for both of them at Henry’s insistence— they take their seats on a patio and look out at the horizon. 

“You know, you didn’t have to pay for me,” Alex tells him as they sit down. 

“You did seem very excited about an all expenses paid trip,” Henry retorts. 

Alex’s brow furrows a bit. “I wasn’t actually expecting you to pay for  _ everything,  _ Henry.” 

“Well, it’s just dinner.” He gives Alex a look that makes him drop the conversation. Truthfully, Henry didn’t mind paying. He hadn’t even thought of the ‘all expenses paid’ part of it when he pulled out his own wallet. 

“This is so pretty,” Alex comments, looking off the patio. “Almost romantic.” 

Henry’s not quite sure what to say to that. He watches Alex watch the water, the waves lapping at the shore. Finally, he clears his throat. “Well, where else would I take my fake boyfriend?” he asks with a forced laugh. 

Alex glances back over at him with a grin. “So aside from earlier, how does it feel being back in England?” 

Henry takes a sip of his drink and looks out at the water. Alex is right. It is quite pretty. “I haven’t spent all that much time in Brighton before,” he says, “so it really just feels like I’m on holiday. Not like I’ve come home or anything. If I were in London, that would feel different.” 

“Should we go to London?” Alex raises one of his brows. 

“It’s a two hour train ride there and back. I think we’re fine here for the night.”

“Okay, but before we go back across the pond,” Alex says, adopting a fake accent, “should we journey over to London?” 

Henry watches him, trying to picture Alex in all the old places he used to go, trying to picture him with his family. “Maybe.” 

Their food arrives and Alex stares at it for a moment. Henry can’t tell if he looks excited or skeptical. “Honestly, I’m surprised you let me order this.” He looks up at Henry as he pops a chip in his mouth. 

“Why’s that?” 

He smirks. “I half expected you to give me a full British feast to make up for all the Mexican I made you eat.”

Henry laughs, shaking his head. “Oh, there’s still time.” After taking a bite of his food, restraining himself from an “ahh,” he says, “I’d really like to see you sit down for high tea. I think you’d lose it.” 

Alex grins around his food. “Oh? Think I’ll find it ridiculous?” 

“Likely so. But then you’d cave because you realized it was delicious.” 

With a laugh, Alex says, “We’ll see about that.” 

After they finish their meals, Alex turns to Henry outside the restaurant and says, “Okay, where can we find you these Jabba Cakes?” 

Henry groans. “They’re not Jabba the Hut cakes, they’re called  _ Jaffa  _ cakes.” Alex laughs and Henry shakes his head at him. “Let’s go find a store.” 

Only a few blocks down sits a Tesco and Henry’s shocked by how excited he feels when they step inside. Alex just looks around, but Henry is feeling nostalgic. “Oh Tesco, it’s been so long.”

Alex looks over at him with a weird expression on his face. “Are you seriously  _ this  _ excited to be in a  _ grocery store  _ again?” 

Henry gives him a withering look. “Leave me alone. I haven’t been in England in a year and a half. Are you telling me there’s  _ nothing  _ that you get nostalgic for when you go back to Texas?” 

A sheepish look crosses Alex’s face. “Okay, fair. When I went back to Austin after my first year in New York, I got weirdly giddy walking into HEB.” 

“What the hell is that?” 

“It’s our grocery store.” 

“So you’re just a big hypocrite is what you’re saying?” Alex tries to give him a look but he won’t budge. 

“Fine, let's carry on,” Alex says, waving Henry toward an aisle. “Isn’t that y’all’s motto?” Henry rolls his eyes and walks forward. 

They find a snack aisle and Henry gets even giddier. “Oh, Walkers! I’m getting some of these!” 

“They just look like Lays,” Alex says, picking up a small bag. “Lays with really weird flavors.” 

“I beg you to not disparage everything I’m excited about.” 

Alex laughs, flashing him an apologetic look. “I’ll go grab a basket.”

Henry watches him walk away before turning back to the shelf and deciding what flavors he wants to gorge on. He decides that’s an appropriate way to deal with seeing his ex again. He’ll just get all the British snack foods that he’s missed in New York. 

Alex comes back over with a basket on his arm. He slips his hand into Henry’s. Henry glances over with a questioning look. “Someone here?” 

Something passes over Alex’s face before he finally nods. “Yeah, I saw that Graham guy over in the produce.” He looks at the shelf and back to Henry. “We loading up?” 

Henry grins and nods. “This could be your Mexican feast. British snack foods.” 

Alex laughs and takes his hand from Henry’s, placing it at his back instead. He moves the basket closer to Henry and says, “Fill ‘er up.” 

“So Texan,” Henry teases as he puts several different flavors of crisps in the basket. “Now we need to look for some others.” They peruse the aisles and Henry keeps adding things to the basket. He looks at a jar of Marmite, looks back at Alex, grins to himself, and puts it in the basket. He finds some Cadbury chocolates, some Hobnobs, shortbread, and finally, they find the Jaffa Cakes —his favorite. 

He’s smiling to himself, prattling on about how excited he is to eat all these foods again when he turns back to Alex and sees him smiling too. There’s a glint in his eye and Henry thinks he’s about to be teased. 

“Oh, don’t give me that look. Sorry for being excited.” 

“What? Don’t apologize. I wasn’t giving you a look.” Henry narrows his eyes at Alex. He squirms a bit under Henry’s gaze, shifting and tucking a hand in his pocket. It occurs to Henry that it’s nearly the same pose he adopted outside the Mexican restaurant. “I was just...I mean, I know I tease you sometimes—and it’s all joking, I hope you know—but I was just happy to see you so happy.” 

“Oh.” Henry’s not sure what to make of that statement. 

“You’ve been so tense and so nervous about everything coming back here, it was just...it was just nice to see you so happy about something,” Alex admits in a small voice. 

Henry takes a deep breath. Now he really doesn’t know what to say. “Well, thank you. I guess.” 

Alex just nods. There’s an awkwardness between them. Henry fills the new silence by throwing several boxes of Jaffa Cakes in his basket. He looks up at Alex and says, “Some to take home.” 

“Smart.” 

They get to the check out line and Henry puts everything from their basket into bags. Just when he’s about to pull out his money to pay, Alex says in his ear, “Did you see that huge cardboard cutout of your great aunt?” 

Henry turns to him and Alex gives an exaggerated nod. He glances around behind him, not noticing whatever Alex is talking about. There have been times he’s seen things like that, of course. For fuck’s sake, the woman’s picture is on his  _ money.  _ But he hasn’t seen her there. He turns around to tell Alex as much and sees him feeding money into the register. “Alex,” he whines. “What are you doing?” 

Alex grins at him. “We have to pay for our food, Henry.” 

“You didn’t have to do that.” 

Alex shrugs, grabbing a receipt and stuffing it in his pocket. He holds a bag out to Henry and holds the other in his hand. “You bought dinner.” 

“But this was all for me.” 

“I thought you said I was having a British snack food feast?” 

Henry nods sheepishly. “Well, yeah, but I could have been joking.” 

“Either way, it’s fine.” They start to walk from the store and Henry still feels bad that Alex paid. “Besides, if you think I’m not going to help you take down some of those bags of chips, you’ve got another thing coming.” 

Henry laughs. “You’re in England. You should call them crisps,” he chides, much to Alex’s amusement. “But you have yourself a deal.” They’re a few blocks from the store when Henry remembers something. “Huh,” he says. Alex looks over at him. “I never saw Graham in there. You said you saw him there.” 

Alex gets an odd look on his face before he clears his throat and schools his expression. “I guess he just got what he needed and left.” 

“I guess so.” 

When they get back into their room, they empty the bags onto a table, surveying their options. “What do you want to try first?” Henry asks. 

He grins and shakes his head. “You’re the one who missed all this stuff. You get to go first. Besides, I’m not sure what I’d want to start with.” 

Henry looks between him and the snacks, back and forth like a tennis match. He wants to give Alex something that he thinks he’d detest, but he can’t. The man has been there for him a lot already and it’s only the first day. Picking up one of the Cadbury chocolates, he puts it in Alex’s hand. “Safest option for you, I think.” 

Alex nods approvingly and starts opening the wrapper. He takes one bite and moans. Henry tries not to dwell on it. “Why is European chocolate so much better than American chocolate?” He shakes his head and takes another bite. “My mom brought me some back once after she was over on this side of the ocean and it just isn’t fair.” 

Henry laughs and sits down next to him on Alex’s bed. “Yes, well, try being the crazy person who moved away from the country with the better chocolate.” 

Alex looks at him with near sincerity on his face and says, “Yeah, you’re crazy.” 

He rolls his eyes and opens his bag of crisps. Alex turns on the tv and Henry worries about explaining British tv shows to him. They lounge on their individual beds until they’re both too tired to keep staying up. As Henry closes his eyes, he realizes that the day took a turn for the better. He looks over his shoulder to see Alex settling in his own bed. Henry knows it’s all because of him. 


	10. Beach Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay with this one! My life has been crazy! Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy!

It’s a beautiful day and when many of them are at breakfast, James runs through the room and declares they’re going to the beach. Henry groans, but Alex looks thrilled. “Surely this isn’t in Daisy’s fine tuned schedule,” Henry suggests. 

“Stop being a sour puss, Henry. It’s beach time!” Alex pushes back from the table and eagerly heads back for their room. 

They’re ready to go not long after breakfast. Alex walks out of the bathroom in rather short swim trunks and a t-shirt. Henry finishes buttoning his shirt. He begrudgingly put on his swim trunks even though he has no intention of going in the water. 

“Button up with a swimsuit,” Alex comments. He gives an approving nod. “Nice look.” 

Henry’s not sure what to say back to that, so he just shrugs and slips on his shoes. Alex leads them out of their room. As they’re walking down the hall, Henry spots Colin ahead of them. He slips his hand into Alex’s, trying to get back into the fake-relationship mindset. Alex just laces their fingers together and says nothing. 

They get out on the beach and find a spot close enough to the group to make it look like they’re with them, but far enough away to not encourage conversation. Alex doesn’t waste any time in stripping off his shirt. Henry wants to look away but he can’t. Alex is too beautiful. 

Alex holds a bottle of sunscreen out to him. “Can you do my back?”

Henry hesitates, looking out of the corner of his eye to the group near them. Much like yesterday, Colin stares at them. Henry nods and takes the bottle from him. Alex turns his back to him and Henry takes a breath. 

He starts gently rubbing the lotion into Alex’s skin. It’s small, but he swears he hears a sigh from Alex as his head falls forward. Henry deepens his touch, rubbing in at his shoulder blades before letting his hands drift down his back. 

“Oi, Henry, this is a public beach!” James yells with a laugh. 

Henry forces out a fake laugh, but keeps going. Surely, he’s probably gotten enough rubbed in, but he can’t stop. He rubs his hands at the base of Alex’s spine and along the waistband. The backs of his arms and neck are taken care of. Henry’s not sure what comes over him when he says, “Turn around. I’ll do your front.” Alex gives him a look, but doesn’t tell him no. A bit loudly, Henry says, “I’ve already got it on my hands. Why dirty both of our hands?” 

Alex releases a breathy laugh and Henry presses his hands to his chest, starting to rub the lotion in there as well. He can’t help but focus on the feel of Alex’s muscles under his hands. Alex sucks in a breath. Henry can feel his stomach tense under his hands. He glances up at Alex and he’s staring down, not meeting Henry’s eyes. Perhaps he’s watching his hands on his skin. 

“This seems a bit excessive,” Colin calls as he walks closer to them. 

Henry can’t stop running his hands over Alex’s body. His fingers move perilously close to his waistband. Alex gasps as one finger dips under. Henry quickly moves his hands back up, needing to find his fucking self control. He runs his hands up his neck and rubs the lotion into his face as well. Alex glances up at him and Henry smiles, trying not to show how much he wants to keep touching him. 

“There you go,” he says in a small voice, kissing the tip of Alex’s nose.

“I’m gonna go jump in the water,” Alex replies quickly. He sprints away from Henry, down toward the water. Henry starts to panic that he went too far. What was he thinking? Yes, Alex started it, but Henry kept it going far past what Alex had asked of him. 

“Gee, did you get enough sunscreen on him?” Colin asks. 

Henry rolls his eyes and walks closer to the water. “Can’t let him burn.” 

He watches as Alex runs into the water and laughs at the high pitched scream that rips from him the moment the water hits him. 

Alex whips around and glares at Henry. He’s near enough to the water that he can hear Alex. “Why didn’t you tell me that it was fucking freezing?” Alex yells as he runs back toward him. 

Henry laughs heartily at his expense. Alex gets a challenging look in his eye that makes Henry back up. He chases after him. Henry’s foot catches weirdly on a rock and he stumbles. Alex uses that to his advantage and throws his arms around Henry, soaking his shirt with the cold water dripping from Alex’s body. 

“Did I not mention that the water is a bit chilly?” Henry asks as he clambers loose from Alex’s grip. 

“Fuck you.” He shakes his head violently and sprays Henry with water. 

Henry laughs again. “What were you expecting?” 

“I don’t know. I spent a lot of time in the gulf. I guess I didn’t think about it. That’s fucking bath water compared to this.” He shivers a bit as the wind picks up. 

Walking back toward their stuff, Henry grabs Alex’s towel and walks back to him. He wraps him in the towel and —yet again, he wonders what comes over him — pulls him into a close hug. Alex doesn’t fight it. Instead, he presses his body closer to Henry in a clear attempt to absorb his body heat. Henry rubs a hand up and down his back. He tries not to feel anything when Alex tucks his face into Henry’s neck. 

Henry pulls away to go sit back down. Alex follows him, surprising him by sitting on his lap. “What are you doing?” Henry asks quietly. 

Alex burrows back into Henry’s embrace. “Stealing your body heat.” 

He rolls his eyes but brings his arms up around Alex nonetheless. It almost feels like cuddling. He hates how much he’s enjoying it. 

Eventually, Alex starts to warm up and moves off Henry’s lap. He still sits right next to him. Rifling through the bag they brought down to the beach, he produces two bags of crisps. Henry grins and reaches out for the offered bag. 

“You can have that shitty flavor. I’ll be sticking with this hopefully good Cheese and Onion flavor.” 

Henry scoffs at him as he opens the bag. A devious plan forms in his mind and before he can talk himself out of it, he grabs two crisps from the bag and shoves them in Alex’s mouth. The man sputters a bit and glares at him, but doesn’t spit them out. He gives Henry a look of disapproval. “I still think it’s not good.” 

He laughs in reply. “Yes, but now you know.” 

They sit there for quite awhile, watching on as the others dip in and out of the water. Alex says he’s not going anywhere near it again. 

Henry leans back against his hands and closes his eyes, tilting his face up towards the sun. Even with all the madness, it’s been a pretty fun day. 

“God, could he be any more obvious?” Alex scoffs.

He opens his eyes and looks around. Colin is down by the water, shirt off, bending down for nothing in particular. His back is to them and Alex is right, it seems pretty obvious who his target audience is. It’s especially obvious when he turns around and looks back at them, a suggestive grin on his face. 

Henry rolls his eyes and looks over at Alex, determined not to give Colin any attention. 

“He’s the worst,” Alex comments, still watching Colin. 

“Mmm, indeed.” Henry adjusts his position and lays his head in Alex’s lap. Alex just grins down at him, very aware of what he’s doing. He starts running his fingers through Henry’s hair and it feels so good, Henry could weep. 

“I think I’ve figured out his game,” Alex comments as he sits there, playing with his hair. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I think he’s trying to unsettle us. He’s a dick to you so that when he starts being nice to you, you notice it,” he explains. “And then, he stares at us like he’s trying to figure us out, trying to make us feel weird.” 

“So what do you think his endgame is?” 

“I think he wants you back,” Alex decides. 

Henry opens his eyes and looks up at him. “You’re joking.” 

“I’m absolutely not. I’m betting he didn’t expect you to bring someone to the wedding and he was planning to woo you back to him.” 

“It would never happen.” 

“I doubt he realizes that,” Alex says. “He’s oblivious to any of his shortcomings. For crying out loud, you said he blamed  _ you  _ for him cheating. He has no sense of things. I bet he planned to get you back at this wedding. But now he’s pissed that you brought me and that’s why he keeps glaring at us the whole time.” 

Henry glances over at Colin, thinking through Alex’s point. “I guess that makes sense. But you know I’d never do that, right?” He doesn’t know why exactly it matters so much for Alex to know that. 

Alex smiles down at him, ruffling his hair again. “Oh I know.” 

He closes his eyes again and just lets himself be in the moment. If he really thought about it, he doesn’t think Alex is right. But maybe there’s something to what he’s saying. Henry doesn’t want to worry about that though. All he wants to do is spend his time with Alex, especially as relaxed and comfortable as they are now. He starts to wonder if it’s as easy for Alex. When he leaves one hand on Henry’s chest and runs the other through his hair, Henry starts to think that it is as easy for him. 

Eventually, the two of them pack up and decide to walk back up to their hotel. Alex links his arm through Henry's and leans into his side. If they’re trying to prove their relationship to everyone else, Henry thinks today was a good act. The easy contact between them feels right, no matter how much he tries to deny it. Alex puts him at ease and it scares him a bit. He already knows how deep in he is. Each day with Alex only sends him deeper into his feelings. 

Henry changes his clothes while Alex showers. There is a dinner they  _ could  _ go to this evening, but both of them said if it’s not “required” they’re going to blow it off. He lays back on his bed and wonders how they’ll spend the rest of the day. 

A knock at the door pulls him from his planning. Part of him thinks it could be Daisy, stopping by to check and see if they’ll be at dinner. Part of him thinks it could be Colin, coming to bother them some more and maybe put a wedge between them if Alex is right. 

No part of him is expecting to see the person on the other side of the door. 

“Bea?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments on past chapters! I know I am terrible about replying to them, but I read them (sometimes over and over) and always mean to reply and then often times, don't end up getting there. But they mean so much to me and I'm so glad you take time out of your days to read this story!


	11. Sister Invasion

“Bea, what are you doing here?” 

She walks in past him and turns on him, an almost angry look on her face. “I think the better question is why the hell did you come back to England and not tell me?” 

Henry grimaces. It would take a lot of explaining to make Bea see his side of things. “How did you know?” 

Bea glares at him. “You weren’t answering my calls. So I called Pez and he said you were here for James’s wedding. Last we talked about it, you said you were still thinking about it. You never told me you were coming.” 

“I’m  _ in  _ the wedding, Bea.” Her jaw drops open. “I didn’t tell you because I figured you’d be disappointed that I didn’t have the strength to say no.” 

Bea opens her mouth to reply right as the door to the bathroom opens and Alex comes strolling out. “Henry, I think —” He freezes when he sees Bea, looking between the two of them. “Um, hi.” He glances over at Henry with a nervous smile on his face. “Well, I guess I’m glad I came out of the bathroom fully clothed.” 

His sister looks back and forth between him and Alex before a dawning look appears on her face. She starts nodding with a knowing grin. “I get it. You didn’t want to introduce me to your boyfriend. Though, I do wonder why you didn’t even tell me you  _ have  _ a boyfriend.” 

“That’s because I don’t,” Henry corrects her. 

Bea looks over at Alex and back at Henry. “Fine, so you didn’t want to introduce me to your fuck buddy, whatever.” Alex sputters out a cough and Henry tries to ignore it. 

“He’s not that either.” 

“Then who the hell is this person in your room?” Bea asks, pointing at Alex. 

“I’m his date to the wedding.” 

“You’re his date but you’re not his boyfriend  _ or  _ his fuck buddy?” 

“Can you please stop saying ‘fuck buddy’ for the love of God, Beatrice!” 

“Beatrice!” Alex cries, drawing her attention. “Oh, you’re Henry’s sister?” 

She nods slowly, eyeing Alex. “Yes, I am.” 

Alex strides forward and shakes her hand with a smile on his face. “I’m Alex. So nice to meet you.” 

“Okay, Alex. Nice to meet you too. I just want to know why you’re here with my brother.” 

Henry heaves out a huge sigh and throws his hands in the air. “He’s pretending to be my boyfriend, alright?” Bea and Alex both look over at him, clearly a bit shocked by his loud outburst. “I didn’t want to come to the wedding alone and so I brought someone to pretend to be my boyfriend. I didn’t tell you I was coming to England because I didn’t want your judgment, okay?” 

Alex looks down at his feet, either feeling awkward or just feeling like he shouldn’t be here. Bea has a thoughtful look on her face, like she’s thinking over Henry’s explanation. He has missed his sister so much, but all he feels in this moment is frustrated. Bea surprises him by looking at him and Alex with a smile. “Have you two eaten lunch?” 

Henry frowns, his brow furrowed. Alex looks up and glances at Henry. “Uh, no, we haven't. We just got back from the beach.” 

Bea nods. “Well, then let’s go to lunch. I think we’ll all feel a bit better with some food in us.” Henry puts his shoes back on and opens the door, gesturing for Bea to lead the way. Alex hovers awkwardly by the bed. She turns around and looks at him. “Oh, Alex, you were invited too. Come on.” 

He grins at Henry and quickly throws on some shoes and heads out the door behind them. 

Per Henry’s instructions, they find a restaurant far away from the beach and the hotel they’re staying at. They take a car to the other side of town, so hopefully, no one from the wedding will overhear them. 

They’ve been seated at their table for approximately five seconds when Bea sets in. “So, how did this idea even come to you?” she asks. Looking at Henry over her water, she adds, “It doesn’t really seem like a Henry idea.” 

“That’s because it wasn’t,” Alex says when Henry hesitates. Weirdly, Henry’s fine with Alex telling the story. He knows all of it anyway. “Pez made this ad asking for someone to pose as Henry’s boyfriend for this wedding.” 

“Okay, that makes more sense. It definitely sounds like a Pez thing to do,” Bea says with a laugh. “And you responded to it?” 

Alex nods with a grin before glancing over at Henry. “Yep.” 

“Why?” 

He opens his mouth to reply, but Henry cuts him off. “He wanted a free trip to England.” Bea doesn’t need to hear whatever over-the-top response Alex would have given. Glancing over at him, he notices an almost hurt look on Alex’s face. “Pez said it would be an all expenses paid trip in the ad, so that’s why.” He’s not sure why he doubles down on it, but it doesn’t make the look on Alex’s face go away. So Henry turns to look at his sister instead. 

“Well, I suppose as long as you’re committed to helping Henry, it doesn’t matter,” Bea says, also glancing at Alex before looking back at Henry. “So, how is it going so far?” 

Henry sighs. “I guess it’s going alright.” 

“Bea, out of curiosity, how much time did you spend with Colin while Henry was with him?” Alex asks. 

“Hmm…not much. I left Oxford and moved to London the same year that Henry started there. Well, I left in the spring and he started in the fall. So we didn’t get to overlap. And I was at Oxford when he was at Eton.” 

Alex scoffs and looks over at Henry. “Prince school,” he says under his breath. Henry just rolls his eyes. When he looks back at Bea, he sees the smirk on her face. 

“Anyway, he came around a bit when Henry pressed him to spend some time with our family, but not all that much. Why?” 

He shrugs. “I was just wondering if he was always an asshole or if that came later.” 

Bea bursts out laughing. “I mean, clearly he was an asshole enough to cheat.”

“Yeah, and to blame Henry for it,” Alex adds. 

Henry closes his eyes, knowing without looking that Bea’s head has whipped over to look at him. “Henry, you never told me that. He blamed you? How?” 

Alex is grimacing as Henry opens his eyes. He ignores him and looks at his sister. “I never told you because you were going through enough shit on your own. I didn’t want you to also end up in jail for driving to Oxford and murdering him.” 

“I mean, I already wanted to, but it would have been worse than that. What was his reasoning for blaming  _ you  _ when he was the fucking one who cheated?” 

Henry sighs. “Can we talk about this later, please? Another time?” 

Bea’s eyes linger on him, trying to read him. “Sure.” She turns to Alex instead. “So, Alex, what do you make of all this?” 

It doesn’t feel like she’s really dropping the conversation, but at least the focus is more on Alex. “On, what? His old friends?” Bea nods. “I think it’s bullshit.” 

She laughs in reply. “I agree.” 

Alex’s eyes flick over to Henry for a split second before he looks back at Bea. “He claims he wasn’t strong enough to say no to being in the wedding, but honestly, I think it takes  _ more  _ strength to come back here and face it all again. To put on a brave face and walk out in front of them like they never wronged him.” 

Henry feels Bea’s eyes on him, but he’s watching Alex, feeling incredibly touched by his words. He hasn’t felt particularly brave. Knowing that Alex might see him that way feels unexpectedly good. When Alex looks at him, he smiles. Alex smiles back. 

“Anyway, it seemed like it was more than just Pez who thought that Henry should have a fake boyfriend for this,” Alex continues. Bea looks confused. “We told my sister and one of my friends that we were coming to this wedding and —” 

“Wait!” Bea says, holding a hand out to Alex. Her eyes are on Henry though. “So you’ve met  _ his  _ sister?” 

Henry cringes and closes his eyes. “Yes, I have.” 

“I made him join my trivia team,” Alex covers. “It just happens to have my sister on it.” 

Bea nods, still giving Henry the side-eye. “Are you close with your sister, Alex?” 

He glances at Henry before answering. “Yeah. We are pretty close. It’s about the same age difference between us as you and Henry.” 

“Is she your older sister or younger sister?” 

“Older.” 

Bea smiles fondly. “That must be nice.” 

“Yeah, it is.” 

Henry’s watching their exchange, waiting for a shoe to drop. Sure enough, it does. 

“And how would your sister feel if you moved to Europe and then snuck back into America — to merely two hours from where she lives — and you didn’t try to see her?” 

Henry sighs, dropping his head in his hands. Alex gives him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “Admittedly, I don’t think she’d be very pleased.” 

“That’s what I thought.” 

“But, I will say, Henry was really anxious about coming back here and I’m sure adding what he sees as an embarrassment would be the last thing he wants to show off to his big sister,” Alex adds. Henry picks up his head slightly and looks at him. Alex just shoots him a nice smile. It’s more comforting than Henry wants it to be. “He’s been terrified that someone would figure us out. As someone who has an intimidating older sister, I think I could understand — given the situation — why he wouldn’t reach out.” 

Bea watches Alex thoughtfully. After a beat, she nods. “I guess that makes sense. I don’t care what Philip thinks, so I’ve never thought of it from that perspective.” 

“Are you saying I get a pass?” Henry asks, his head resting on his arms. 

“For now, until I get mad about it again,” she teases. Bea turns her attention back on Alex. “So do you go to NYU as well?” 

He nods happily. “Yep. We actually met in a class over a year ago.” 

“Wait, so you knew him before the ad went out?” 

“Yeah, I did. Not super well, but I definitely knew who he was.” 

“Interesting.” 

Henry rolls his eyes. He knows the way his sister’s mind works. 

“So you know everything, then?” she asks. 

“I...mostly?” Alex answers, unsure. “It seems like I know the full Colin situation. And why Henry moved to New York.” 

“How much time have you two spent together?” 

“Beatrice,” Henry scolds in a low voice. 

Naturally, she ignores him. Alex just grins. He does always love a challenge. “Uh, a good amount. I convinced him that we should hang out before we came over here so we could pass as a convincing couple. Why?” 

“I just want to know — from someone other than my brother — if he seems happy.” 

“Bea, what are you —”

She cuts him off. “You just keep saying everything’s great. And while I want it to be, I want to know the truth, Henry!” 

“It seems like he has it all together,” Alex cuts in. Henry and Bea both look over at him. “I mean, he’s got a job at a super cute bookstore, even though apparently you come from royalty and —” 

“You told him? You never tell people.” 

Henry laughs. “Accidentally. It came out in a heated moment at trivia.” 

Alex nods with a fond smile. “Yep. He definitely let the cat out of the bag.” 

“Hmm,” Bea says, appraising Henry. “Anyway, please continue, Alex. I didn’t mean to interrupt you.” 

“I was just saying that he’s got a nice job. He’s super smart so clearly he does well in his classes. He got himself out of a clearly shitty situation and is making a good go of it halfway across the world. Honestly, I think he’s killing it.” 

“You do?” Bea and Henry ask in unison. 

Alex laughs. “Yeah. I don’t know. If nothing else, it’s the vibe you give off. You just seem like you have it all together. And after you told me your story and everything, I was really impressed by the life you have.” 

Henry’s breath comes a bit shorter. He can’t take his eyes off of Alex. “Well...thank you,” he says in a small voice. Breathing out a laugh, he adds, “I thought I was rather boring, spending most of my time either in the library or with Pez.” 

“I mean, from what you’ve told me, Pez seems far from boring.” 

It’s Bea’s turn to laugh. “Oh ‘far from boring’ is a good way to describe him.” 

Henry relaxes a bit, trying not to make it obvious how touched he feels by Alex’s appraisal of his life. Even if it’s just one person — one person who knows him better than he expected — it’s nice to hear that someone thinks he’s doing well. Alex and Bea keep chatting, starting to talk more about Alex, and Henry just sips on his drink and listens. 

Their food comes and they keep talking, less about the wedding and Alex, and more just telling stories. Alex asks over and over again what Henry was like as a kid and Bea is more than happy to tell him funny stories from their childhoods. Henry will chime in, but he’s also distracted by Alex’s interest in his life. The two of them seem to get along quite well. If nothing else, it’s nice to be with people whose company he enjoys without the threat of Colin lurking. (He’s glanced around the restaurant a few times, just in case.)

The three of them chat as they ride back to their hotel. Alex had suggested they walk back, but Bea begged off. Once they’re back in their room, Alex invites Bea to hang out, but she hovers by the door. 

“Actually, Alex, would it be alright with you if I stole my brother away for a bit?” 

He nods with a grin. “Of course. He’s been your brother longer than he’s been my…” he trails off, but Henry’s nearly desperate to hear how he finishes that. He just waves his hand to finish his sentence and Bea grins, grabbing Henry by the arm and nudging him out of the room. 

They walk along the pier and both of them are silent for a while. Naturally, Bea is the first to speak. “Alex seems very nice.” 

“Yeah, he is.” 

“I like him.” Henry’s silent. He knows there’ll be more. “And I think it’s pretty obvious that you do too.” And there it is.

“Bea —” he starts, but she cuts him off. 

“Have you told him that you like him?” 

“No.” 

“But you do feel that way?” 

Henry sighs. “Well, yes. I felt that way in the class we shared and it’s only gotten worse spending time together this summer.” 

“Worse? Henry you make it sound like an ailment. Can you not see that he feels the same way?” 

He laughs and shakes his head. “He’s a good actor. That’s all.” 

“Maybe for the wedding, but there was no need to put on an act for me,” Bea reminds him. “And yet I could see, very clearly, how interested he is in you.” She nudges Henry with her shoulder. “Why don’t you do something about it?” 

“I don’t know. Maybe I don’t want to be wrong. There are times it feels like he does and then…” He cuts himself off and sighs. “I just don’t know. Sometimes I worry that it only seems that way because that’s how I want it to be.” 

“That seems dumb,” Bea says. Henry glares at her. “It could not be more obvious how much he likes you, Henry. If nothing else, he thinks very highly of you. But you know, I’ve never sat down with another one of your friends and had them ask me to talk about you the whole time.” 

“He likes to tease me,” Henry attempts. 

“Henry, I think that’s called flirting.” 

That’s the problem. He often wonders if Alex’s teasing is just flirting. But if it’s not and he tries something, he’d be humiliated. And what he has with Alex now is so much more than he ever thought he’d get with him. He doesn’t want to ruin it by pushing something that will make Alex distance himself. 

“I don’t know.” 

“I think you’re afraid of trying to start anything,” Bea says. 

“Of course I’m bloody afraid of it!” Henry cries. “Bea, the last person — fuck, the  _ only  _ person — I’ve ever been with cheated on me. I have a right to be a bit hesitant about potentially getting hurt again!” 

She nods appeasingly. “You’re absolutely right. Yes, you do have that right. I just don’t want you to close yourself off forever, Henry.” She reaches an arm out and pats his back. “And I only spent part of an afternoon with Alex, but I think we both know he’s a better person than Colin ever was.” 

Henry hangs his head a bit as he nods. “Yes, he is.” 

“And he knows what you’ve been through. He’s not going to play fast and loose with your feelings. At least he doesn’t seem like the type that would.” 

They walk for a bit in silence. 

Finally, Bea speaks again. “You two seem like you’d be good together. And it’s clear how highly you both think of each other. I feel like you’d be happy with him. So why not try?” 

“Because what do I have to offer him?” Henry asks, digging to the root of his insecurities. 

“What?” 

“I don’t know how to be in a relationship. I thought I was happy and doing great with Colin, but then I was blindsided. What if I miss all the signs again? I don’t think I could go through it a second time. And not that I think Alex is that type of person, but I’m just —” he stops, staring down at his feet. Bea walks back toward him and wraps him in a hug. “Sometimes I still feel a bit broken,” he admits in a whisper. “And every time I think about what I could be with him, I just…” He breathes out a heavy sigh. “It’s easier to just imagine it’s one sided.” 

“But what if it’s not and you’re missing out on the chance for something good?” 

“I do want to be with him, I just...I’m just afraid that I’m not enough anymore.” 

Bea shakes her head and gives him a caring, but stern look. “Henry, your worth is not determined by what someone else has done to you. You are an amazing person and you deserve love as much as anyone. Don’t write off opportunities because you’re too scared. That’s how you miss great things in your life.” 

He nods, knowing she’s right. 

“You don’t have to walk right in there and tell him how you feel,” Bea says, steering them back the way they came. “But just promise me that you won’t blow it off. That you’ll listen to how you feel and maybe look for cues that he feels the same way. Because I promise you that he does.” 

Henry sighs. “We’ll see.” 

“If nothing else, I think you’ve got a very good friend in him,” she says, looping her arm through his. “Though, I still stand by the fact that you both want more.” 

“Okay, okay, okay.” 

They continue to walk, starting to just catch up on each other’s lives — the things they haven’t been mentioning in their calls. And after a while, Henry walks Bea back to the train station and returns to his hotel. As they hug, she whispers, “You deserve to be happy.” He hugs her tighter and thanks her. 

Alex is waiting in the room as Henry walks in. “Hey! How’s it going?” His eyes linger on him. “You doing okay?” Henry nods as he sits down on his bed. “Did she give you a hard time again?” 

He laughs. “No, I think you got her to understand at lunch.” 

Alex nods with a smile. “Are you sure you’re doing okay? You have a look about you.” 

Henry shrugs. “I’m fine.” Alex gets an irritated look on his face and opens his mouth to reply, but Henry cuts him off. “I really am fine. It’s not like the other day, I’m...I’m fine, really. We talked about some tricky stuff, but I’m doing okay.” 

“Are you sure?” 

A grin spreads across his face at Alex’s insistence. “Yes, but thank you.” 

“You’re welcome,” Alex says with a nod. “Also, I’ve decided that when Bea comes to visit you in New York next, we should get together with June and Bea because I think they’d get along really well.” 

Henry watches him for a long moment. “What?” 

“What? I just feel like they like being big sisters who put their little brothers in their place,” he says with a laugh. 

“No, I just...I didn’t realize you were still planning for us to hang out after this week.” 

Alex looks confused, then offended, before his face is carefully blank. “I mean...you’re not getting rid of me that easily,” he says with what sounds like a forced laugh. “Besides, I’m pretty sure Nora and June are going to force you to keep coming to trivia, so…” 

“Sounds like a good plan,” Henry says with a smile. Alex watches him for a moment before he smiles back. 


	12. Lies and Delusions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Back with another chapter already? Yes, this is unheard of. Hope you enjoy!

Henry and Alex are leaving their breakfast, having a pleasant morning so far. Alex reaches out to grab his hand and Henry opens his mouth to say something, but they’re interrupted by Daisy approaching them. 

“Just the two boys I was looking for,” she says with a grin. Henry dreads whatever that means, but shrugs and nods. 

“What’s up?” Alex asks. 

“I need some help at my shower.” 

“Won’t you have all your bridesmaids?” Henry asks her. 

“Well, they’re there as guests. I need some people to do the heavy lifting.” 

“What about James?” 

Daisy sighs, rolling her eyes. “He was obviously my first choice, but Colin ran off with him earlier today before I realized I’d need him there.” She gives them a pleading look. “I know this is not what you two want to do with your day, but I just need someone to help me keep it flowing and you two seem like you’ll manage it.” Alex and Henry exchange looks, neither of them too keen on the idea. Daisy can clearly tell. “You can have any of the food and booze that you want.” 

Alex laughs. “You know how to drive a deal, Daisy. I think we can make it.” 

“Great, it’s in two hours in the dining room. Thank you!” 

Henry stares at Alex for a moment. “We were going to go explore Brighton today,” he reminds him. 

Alex shrugs. “We have a free morning on Thursday too. We can do it then. I really don’t think she would have taken no for an answer.” 

“So now we’re spending our day shifting gifts around like servants?” Henry whines, shooting Alex a look. 

“Sure, but we get to basically have bottomless drinks in the process. We’ll be fine.” 

Henry rolls his eyes and follows Alex back to their room. “I’m just saying, I think she picked us because of the gay factor and I don’t like that.” 

Alex laughs as he walks over to his suitcase. “She didn’t ask Colin, though. Maybe she went for a reliable,  _ kind  _ factor instead.” 

Henry gives him a look. “I think you’re reaching, but okay.” 

Two hours later, they’re dressed a bit nicer and are waiting in the dining room while the guests wander in and greet Daisy. Henry steers them over toward the side of the room until it’s time for them to do what Daisy asked of them. Alex walks back toward him with two glasses of champagne is his hands, waggling his eyebrows. Henry laughs and happily accepts the drink. 

“This is it. This is how we’re going to get through this.” 

“Cheers,” Alex says, clinking their glasses together. “Did I sound British enough there?” He bursts out laughing at the unimpressed look Henry gives him. 

After everyone else has had a pass over the table of food, they quickly fill plates and return to their corner. There are still some stragglers finding their way into the dining room. Daisy seems more than content to be the center of attention. Henry wonders how she waited to have all her events the week of her wedding. It seems like more stress than it’s worth. 

As Henry finishes his second glass of champagne, he goes to set it on the table near them and his heart about stops when he looks up at the door, seeing who is entering the room. He must gasp because Alex is quickly at his side. 

“What’s going on?” 

Henry’s eyes are locked on the woman who just entered, watching as she’s welcomed into the fray of other women, greeted and given drinks. 

“Henry, who is that?” 

“It’s Colin’s mum.” 

“What?” Alex asks, his voice a bit high pitched. “What would she be doing here?” 

Henry sighs, trying and failing to pull his focus. “If I can recall correctly, she was quite close with James’s mum.” He always wondered if that was how he slowly got edged out. Their families were close and Henry just lifted out of the picture so easily. 

“Shit,” Alex whispers. Henry looks over to catch him downing the rest of his drink. “How awkward is this going to be for you?” 

He takes a deep breath, wishing he had another glass of champagne in his hand. “Depends on if I actually find myself in a conversation with her. Hopefully, she’ll just never notice I’m here.” 

“I know I’m shorter than you,” Alex says, “but I think if you squatted, I could hide you fairly well behind me.” 

Henry laughs and claps Alex on the shoulder. “I appreciate the offer. I’ll keep it in mind.” 

Until it’s time for the gifts, Alex and Henry stay off to the side, trying to blend in to the wall as much as possible. Each time a server walks by with champagne, Alex stops him, getting more for them. Perhaps they’re imbibing too much for a day function, but Henry can’t find it in him to care. He never thought he’d have to be confronted with Colin’s family again. Honestly, after he broke up with Colin, he was briefly upset about losing his family, but truly hadn’t thought of them again until his mother walked into the same room. 

Daisy sits in a specific chair for present opening. Henry watches as everyone sits down and watches her start to open things. It feels a bit like a child’s birthday party, complete with the same fake joy occasionally on Daisy’s face. The gifts are a bit different, admittedly. He hasn’t been to many children’s birthday parties, but he doesn’t think they end up with a block of knives. It’s an interesting tradition when the bride could just as easily open them in private without everyone’s eyes on her. Either way, Henry and Alex step forward and catch gifts from her, setting them over to the side. Alex has clearly done something like this more often. He carefully sets each card with the gift so she’ll know who they’re from. For whatever reason, it makes Henry smile. 

The day drags a bit as Henry’s blood alcohol levels start to even out. He eventually just starts taking presents over to Alex who organizes everything with a smile on his face. Thankfully, the moment comes that their tasks are over and they’re allowed to retreat back to their corners. Henry suggests just going back to their room, but Alex won’t let him. He leaves his side for a moment and comes back bearing cake. Henry nods in approval and takes it happily from him. The two of them stand there, their heads ducked together, eating cake like it’s contraband. 

Henry watches surreptitiously as guests start to leave. Alex takes their plates and sneaks over to leave them with the rest of the trash. As he walks back over, he pats Henry on the arm. “I think you did it. I think you avoided her.” 

With a dramatic sigh, Henry sags a little, closing his eyes. “Thank god.” Alex laughs, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Henry glances over at him, sharing a smile with him. Even if it wasn’t the day they had planned, he still had fun with Alex, sneaking drinks and food, judging the people in attendance. “I think we’ve done our duty. Let’s get out of here.” 

Alex agrees and Henry grabs his hand. They’re out in the hall when he hears his name being called. Turning around, his stomach drops. Colin’s mother stands before him, a smile on her face. “Mrs. Jones,” he says with fake enthusiasm. “So lovely to see you!” 

“It’s been too long, Dear!” She pulls Henry into a hug and he wonders if Colin was actually honest with his mother on how their relationship ended. “I was so glad when Colin said you’d be here.” 

“Oh?” Henry pulls back and looks at her. 

“He seemed quite excited about it too,” she adds. Henry glances over at Alex and they share an equally confused expression. “He just misses you so much while you’re in New York. But I know your weekly phone calls help.” 

“Our — our  _ what  _ now?” 

It’s her turn to look confused. “The calls between you and Colin every week. He says you talk all the time. He says that the distance is hard, but you’re making do.” 

“I’m sorry, I’m so confused,” Henry splutters. “Mrs. Jones, why do you think I’m in New York.” 

“Because you got that special writer’s scholarship.” 

Henry breathes out a laugh. “Well I wish I had one of those.” 

“It’s been so hard on him since you left.” 

“Are you serious?” Alex asks, stepping closer. Henry reaches out and lays a hand at his arm, shaking his head. 

“Who are you?” she asks. 

Henry squeezes Alex’s forearm where his hand still rests. “Mrs. Jones, Colin and I broke up over a year and a half ago. We broke up before I even moved to New York. This…” He glances over at Alex and moves his hand behind Alex’s back. “This is my boyfriend.” 

A look of near horror crosses the woman’s face. “Why would Colin lie to me?” 

“Probably because —” Alex starts, cutting off when Henry presses his nails into his back. 

“Perhaps he knew how fond of each other we were and didn’t want you to be upset,” Henry amends. He did always like Colin’s mom. It’s not  _ that much  _ of a lie. 

She still has a disconcerted look on her face. “Well, I suppose that makes more sense. I wonder if that’s why he never moved to New York like he kept talking about. He had such a hard time after you left, Henry.” 

“That’s hardly Henry’s fault,” Alex says before Henry can stop him. Mrs. Jones flashes him a look of disapproval. 

“Well,” she says in a clipped tone. “It was lovely to see you, Henry.” She gives him another hug, shoots Alex a withering glare, and walks from them. 

They stand there, waiting until she’s far enough away before Alex turns to Henry. “ _ What the fuck _ ?” 

Henry can’t quite wrap his mind around it. He shakes his head as he turns to walk back toward their room. “Why didn’t he tell his mother that we broke up?” 

“Maybe he’s been playing the  _ really  _ long game,” Alex suggests. “He’s insane.” 

Henry breathes out a long sigh. “You could be right about that.” 

That night, the whole wedding party goes to a pub. Henry spots Colin not long after they walk in. Alex stands at the bar. He glances over and follows Henry’s gaze. “Gonna go confront him?” Alex asks. 

Henry nods slowly. “I think I need to.” 

“Want me to join you?” 

He looks back at Alex and wishes he could say yes. “I think I need to do this on my own,” Henry sighs. 

Alex grabs his hand and squeezes. “You’ve got this!” 

Henry smiles gratefully at him, leaning in and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Thanks.” 

Colin is sitting in a booth by himself. Henry slides in, a glare at the ready. “Oh, Henry, I’ve been expecting you.” 

“Oh?” 

“I just knew you couldn’t stay away.” 

Henry rolls his eyes. His disdain for the man is only continuing to grow. “Can you explain to me why you didn’t tell your mum that we broke up?” 

Colin watches him for a moment. “Why would I do that?” 

“Because we fucking broke up!” 

“Well sure, for now.” 

“ _ Excuse me _ ?” 

Colin gives him a look like what he’s going to say is so obvious. “Please, Henry, we both know where this goes. I didn’t want to tell her and make her sad about it when we’re just going to end up back together.” 

“How on earth do you think that’s how this is going to go? I literally  _ left the country  _ because of you. Because I didn’t want to ever see you again. Are you honestly deluded enough to actually think I’d take you back?” He glances back over his shoulder to see Alex sitting at the bar. “Not to mention the fact that I’ve moved on. I have a boyfriend now.” Even if it’s a lie, it’s a comforting one. 

Colin laughs haughtily. “Yeah, like that will last.” 

“Oh fuck off,” Henry fires back.

“Everyone knows you don’t end up with your rebound.” 

Henry narrows his eyes at him. “He’s far from a rebound. I went from an asshole who didn’t give a shit about my feelings to a man who actually cares about me. You know  _ nothing  _ about me and Alex.” 

“I know that one day you’re going to realize that an American pretty boy isn’t what you want and you’re going to come running back to me. Lucky for you, I’ll be waiting with open arms.” 

He shakes his head disgustedly at him. “Don’t bother.” Getting up, he stalks back to the bar and stands next to where Alex is sitting. “Got drinks yet?” 

“He’s making them now.” Alex rubs a hand at Henry’s back. “How’d it go?” 

Henry glances over at him, a dark look on his face. “About as well as you’d expect.” He can see Alex look over at the booth where Colin’s still sitting. Turning to face the bar fully, Henry asks, “Is he watching us?” 

“But of course,” Alex says with a roll of his eyes. 

He turns to Alex, reaching up to play with the curls just over his ear. It would be embarrassing to admit how much time he’s spent imagining what it would be like to run his fingers through Alex’s hair. He still feels full of rage at Colin’s presumptions. Even if he believes Henry and Alex are a real couple, he still thinks Henry will run back to him. It pisses him off. As he watches Alex, he realizes that his two different intentions — fooling Colin and exploring his feelings for Alex — could perhaps be accomplished at the same time. 

Taking a deep breath, he summons all the courage he has. “I’m going to kiss you,” he announces. 

One of Alex’s brows raises, an amused smirk growing on his face. With a laugh, he replies, “Be my guest.” 

Henry grins for just a moment before he cups Alex’s face in his hands and leans down. He presses his lips gently against Alex’s, full of nerves. When Alex returns the kiss, Henry leans in further, deepening their embrace. He feels Alex’s hands grip his shirt at his sides. Before he can get too carried away, Henry pulls back. He’s breathing too heavily, almost afraid to look at Alex’s face, tempted to look over at Colin. Instead, he keeps his eyes closed and tries to even out his breathing. 

As if Alex can read his mind, he says, “He’s still looking. Come here.” Henry opens his eyes, turning to look at Colin, but Alex’s hand at his neck pulls him back in before he can. This time, Alex sets the pace. He kisses him deeply, his hands weaving through his hair. Henry steps between his legs and rests his hands at his neck. He ignores the voice at the back of his head telling him that this is just for show, and he slips his tongue into Alex’s mouth. Somehow, over the din of the pub, he hears Alex’s gasp — or maybe he just felt it — before he moves one hand to clutch at Henry’s back. 

Henry forgets that they’re in public. He forgets that they’re not really together. He forgets that this could end up being complicated. He just loses himself in Alex, kissing him desperately, like he thinks it might be his only chance. 

And maybe it will be. 

He has no idea how long they’ve been kissing when Alex slowly pulls back, both of them just about panting. Henry’s not sure what he’s looking for on Alex’s face as he watches him. Slowly, a smirk spreads across his face, making Alex look a bit mischievous. And that’s when Henry remembers why they kissed in the first place. He steps back, moving out of Alex’s space. 

Clearing his throat, he says, “Probably was a good show.” 

Alex’s eyes stay on him, an unclear look on his face. “Yeah,” he says, turning to the bar and picking up his drink. Henry follows suit. 

“Gin and tonic,” he comments. Grinning over at Alex, he adds, “You remembered.” 

A smile crosses Alex’s face, filling Henry with a warmth he doesn’t want to acknowledge. If nothing else, he’s glad Alex doesn’t seem mad at him for what he initiated. 

“I thought about ordering you another martini, just to see you suffer, but I decided to be nice.” 

Henry laughs. “I’m glad you decided to be generous.” 

They sip their drinks in silence for a moment. Alex is the first one to speak again. “So, what did he say?” Henry groans in response, leaning his head against his arms on the bar. “That bad?” 

“He informed me that he didn’t want to tell his mother if we were just going to end up back together.” 

“He’s insane.” 

“Yes, I would agree with you.” Henry tells him more about what Colin said about their relationship. He pointedly omits the part where Colin said he and Alex won’t last. When he finishes the story, he downs the rest of his drink. 

Alex’s eyes are on him as he looks up. “He say anything else?” 

Henry shakes his head. Is it a lie if he doesn’t say anything? There’s no way Alex could have heard their conversation in the loud bar. Still, he doesn’t know how he’d explain why he got so angry at Colin’s statements about Alex. 

The night carries on and Henry can’t get his mind away from that kiss. He thinks too often about the way his body fit against Alex’s, the way it would feel to do more than just kiss him. These aren’t new thoughts by any means. He’d had these thoughts in their shared class. He’d had these thoughts when he and Alex started spending time together this summer. The difference is now, he knows how fantastic it is to kiss Alex, to be held by him. Bea’s words play in his mind, encouraging him not to ignore his feelings. 

But as the week carries on and they get deeper and deeper into their fake relationship, Henry’s also not sure how to take it from something fake to something real. Short of spelling it out — which he’d likely botch anyway — he doesn’t know the best way to show Alex how he feels without it coming off as part of the ruse. 

Alex is caught up talking to a bridesmaid when James flags Henry over. He pats Alex on his back as he leaves and Alex glances over and smiles at him. Henry wanders over to where he’s “needed” and listens to inane talk about the wedding, not sure why his presence was necessary. 

He feels like he’s been standing there for far too long, ignoring stares from Colin and focusing just on whoever’s talking — well, as long as it’s not Colin. Eventually, Alex wanders over to their group. He feels him first in the gentle hand at his back. Henry looks over, raising his arm to put around Alex’s shoulders. Alex tucks right into his side. He leans up and presses a kiss to the corner of Henry’s mouth. It takes everything in him to not turn into it and resume what they started earlier. He’s sure this is for the benefit of the group — particularly Colin. 

“I was going to head back to the hotel,” Alex says. 

Henry nods. “I’ll come with you.” He turns to the rest of the men. “Night. See you tomorrow.” 

“Night, y’all!” Alex says with a wave as he steers Henry away from them by the arm around his waist. 

They make the short trek back to their hotel with Henry’s arm still around Alex’s shoulders and Alex’s arm still around Henry’s waist. Neither of them brings up the kiss. When they get back to their room, it’s business as usual. 

It feels like confirmation that it was just for show. Henry knows that he was right when he realized that he would be the one to end up confused. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Henry, dear, I think it's time for some critical thinking. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! I've loved all your comments!


	13. Stag Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so there's going to be a bit of a delay after this chapter, but I wanted to update one more time before starting nanowrimo. There is a tiny bit of a cliffhanger (if you can even call it that), but if you'd rather not read and then wait, feel free to wait to read until I post the next chapter!

Henry is nearly ready for the day when Alex groans from his bed. “What do we have to do today?” 

With a laugh, Henry reaches for the schedule they were provided. He makes a disapproving noise as he reads it. “It just says ‘Groom’s choice.’”

Alex sits up, his blankets pooling around his waist. “Is he going to drag us to a strip club? I really don’t want to do that.” 

“You’re at least also attracted to women. What the fuck would I get out of that?” Henry asks with a laugh. Alex shakes his head at him with a grin. “But seriously, I don’t know what we’re doing.” 

“What if I just don’t get out of bed?” 

Henry sighs. “Well,  _ I’m  _ expected to be there. I suppose you don’t have to go.” 

“Aww, that’s very nice of you to try and give me a morning off,” Alex says and he stands up. He taps Henry on the nose. “But I’m not going to leave you alone.” 

“I appreciate it,” Henry says. He looks down at his hands rather than watch Alex move about the room. 

There’s a knock at the door just as Alex finishes dressing. Henry opens it to see James, Colin, and Graham standing there. “Come on, lads! We’ve got a full day ahead of us!” 

“What is that, exactly?” Alex asks. 

“We’re golfing!” James tells them excitedly. Henry groans, but Alex looks pleased. “Let’s go. We’ll meet you out front!” 

“See you there,” Henry says, closing the door behind them. 

“So, we’re spending all day with them, right?” Alex asks. “Because tonight is his bachelor party?” Henry coughs pointedly. Alex rolls his eyes and corrects himself. “Sorry, his  _ stag party _ .” Henry laughs and nods at him. “Great. I can’t wait to not have a minute alone.” 

“Oh.” 

“I meant from them. I don’t care about you,” Alex says as he ties his shoes. He glances up to see the half confused/half hurt look on Henry’s face. “Yeah, that came out badly. I meant I don’t care if I don’t have time away from you. You don’t annoy me.” 

Henry laughs. “I’m so flattered.” 

Alex walks over to him and opens the door. “You should be, honestly.” 

They all ride out to the golf course together, Alex, Henry, and Colin somehow wedged into the back. The way Alex keeps glaring at Colin across Henry is certainly amusing. He puts his arm around Henry’s shoulders and pulls him so he’s right against him, no part of his body touching Colin. Henry smiles to himself and takes Alex’s other hand in his. 

“I say before we start playing, we should head over to the driving range and hit some balls first,” James decides.

“Okay, then,” Alex says, putting his arm around Henry’s waist and walking them in that direction. There are a few other members of the wedding party that jumped in another car. Henry wishes at least once that Colin would choose to be in the other car. “Who’s that guy?” Alex asks, pointing to a newcomer. 

“That’s James’s brother, Philip.” 

“Your brothers have the same name?” 

“Yep. Difference is, his brother is tolerable.” Alex throws his head back and laughs. The sound fills Henry up. He probably enjoys making Alex laugh too much. 

The group gets a bucket of balls and takes over a few different spots at the range. Henry watches Alex swing pretty perfectly. He turns around and grins cheekily at him. “Good job,” Henry says half mockingly. 

“Thank you,” he replies, leaning up and kissing Henry quickly. 

“Alex, you play much golf?” Graham asks. 

“My step-dad enjoys playing golf so he and I would go play sometimes together,” Alex tells them. “I guess I’m pretty good or whatever.” 

“And so humble,” Henry teases. Alex just shrugs. 

“Your turn, baby,” Alex tells him, smacking his butt. 

“All right, all right.” 

Henry’s not good at golf and has never tried to improve. He goes to hit the ball and it maybe goes a few meters. After Alex’s impressive hit, he feels a bit embarrassed. 

Colin laughs from the tee next to him. “You never were very good at golf, eh Henry?” 

He opens his mouth to retort, but Alex steps up beside him. “Maybe he just needs a good teacher.” He makes Henry hold the golf club again. “Your swing is just a bit off. Here, let me help.” He moves Henry so he’s in position to hit the ball, and then he crowds in behind him, his front against Henry’s back. Alex’s hands come around him and hold Henry’s on the golf club. “Okay, so it’s all about the movement.” He slowly moves Henry through a swing, stopping just before they hit the ball. They do this a few times, Alex whispering instructions in his ear. Henry’s far too focused on the feel of Alex’s body against his to really pay close attention to Alex’s directions. Eventually, he brings them into a swing and they make contact with the ball, sending it much further out onto the green. 

“You did it!” Alex cries with a bright smile. Henry laughs, throwing caution to the wind and leaning down to kiss him. 

“I guess I did just need a good teacher.” 

Eventually their tee time arrives and they move on to the course, choosing partners. 

“Maybe I should just be a caddy,” Henry says with a laugh. 

“You could be my caddy,” Colin suggests with a waggle of his eyebrows. 

“Like hell,” Alex immediately fires back. “He’s going to play and he’s going to be my partner. I think you threw away the right to claim him as your partner quite a while ago, if I recall correctly.” Henry hasn’t seen this much fire in Alex — at least not directed at Colin. There was plenty of fire in him each time they were at trivia. But still, he feels protected with Alex beside him. 

The game starts with Alex and Henry paired and Colin paired with James. The other four get a start ahead of them and Henry wishes they could have played alongside one of those pairs instead. 

“All I want is a fucking break from this guy,” Alex says to Henry as he drives their cart. “I can’t even imagine how you must feel.” 

“About the same way,” Henry says. 

Alex reaches over and takes his hand. “Sorry.” 

With a sigh, Henry replies, “It’s fine. Theoretically, I knew what I was getting into.” 

Alex does significantly better than Henry, though thankfully also better than Colin. He and James are neck and neck for the top seed. At each hole, while they watch the others finish their turn, Alex’s arm is around Henry and Henry returns the gesture. If one of them isn’t actively hitting the ball, they’re touching in some way. For Henry, it’s not really a conscious thing. Alex certainly started it, but Henry is fine continuing it. 

They’re on hole 12 when James comments on it. “You two are just always touching.” Alex looks over at Henry and opens his mouth to reply, but James cuts him off. “Oh, I think it’s nice,” he clarifies with a smile. “I like holding Daisy’s hand or having my arm around her. But there are times that someone will tell me that it’s too much. It’s just nice to see another couple like that.” 

Alex grins, tightening his arm around Henry’s waist. “It is nice.” 

“I think it’s insufferable,” Colin replies. 

“No one is surprised that you think that,” Alex retorts with a glare. “Don’t let the green eyed monster take total control, okay?” Henry snorts, hiding his face against Alex’s hair. 

Henry makes no attempt at winning as the day carries on, but he does enjoy watching Alex play. Admittedly, a few times, his eyes have roamed a bit further down, but he doesn’t think he’s been caught. 

It comes down to the last hole for Alex and James. Right before his potential last hit, Alex leans up and whispers in Henry’s ear. “I should let him win, shouldn’t I?” 

Henry laughs and leans down, putting his mouth right at Alex’s ear. “It would probably be nice of you.” He presses a kiss to just above his ear and pushes Alex out toward the game. As he goes to swing the ball, Alex over-hits it and it goes flying past the hole. James gapes at him, hopefully thinking he just had a bad hit. It takes him another two hits to get the ball in the hole, securing James the win. 

James celebrates loudly, the three of them letting him have this moment. When they get back to the clubhouse, they’re lingering, waiting to head back to the hotel. As always, Henry can feel Colin watching them. He pulls Alex in close. “You may have gotten second place, but you’ll always have first place in my heart,” he says with a cheesy grin. Alex bursts out laughing and leans up to kiss him. It’s softer than he’s expecting. If there weren’t other’s around, he’d almost think it was real. 

“Okay, so here’s the plan,” James tells them, ripping Henry from the moment with Alex. “We go back to the hotel, change clothes, and then we’re going out on the town! Meet in the lobby in 20 minutes after we get back.” 

“Where do you think we’re going?” Alex asks as he takes off his shirt and hunts around for another one. Henry pulls his focus from Alex’s toned chest to look for his own clothes. 

“Honestly, I wish I knew.” 

They throw together clothes that they think will be passable and walk out to meet the rest of the group. 

Apparently, the theme for the night is “what looks good to James.” He takes them to some extremely cheap restaurant. Alex looks dubious of everything ordered for the table. They go to a bar right after that and stay for just a few shots before James is dragging them out of there to go somewhere else. 

The last place Henry expects them to end up is a karaoke bar. James is drunk enough — though Henry doesn’t really know  _ how  _ — to end up on the stage first. He belts out “I Will Always Love You” and yells at the end, “This is for Daisy! I’m getting married!” 

Henry laughs heartily at the sight as Alex walks over and presses a drink into his hand. “Seems like we’re going to need these.” 

“Probably,” Henry yells over the din of the bar. He looks over to see Alex paging through the book of songs. “Are you going to sing?” 

“I’m thinking about it,” he says with a smirk. “They’ve got some good options. Queen, Dolly Parton, clearly they have Whitney Houston, Bowie, Kelly Clarkson, and ooh, the Jonas Brothers.” 

Henry stares at him. “The Jonas Brothers? They’re the one that got the “ooh” from you? Really? I would not have pegged you as a jobro.” 

Alex throws his head back and laughs. “I feel very proud of your time in America that you know the term jobro.” He shrugs as he keeps looking. “June made me listen to their music.” 

“Sure she did.” 

“Okay, fine, maybe I liked their comeback stuff. Don’t judge me, Henry.” 

“We’re all allowed to our own musical tastes.” 

“I like Joe’s politics.” 

“And his face?”

Alex rolls his eyes with a grin. “Maybe.” 

“Sure.” 

“You know what, I’m going to show you,” Alex says, setting down his drink heavily. “Just watch.” 

Alex waits by the stage until it’s his turn and Henry watches, totally amused by him. He takes the mic and points it at Henry. There’s a screen behind Alex and a screen for him to read in front. The words “What A Man Gotta Do by the Jonas Brothers” flash across the screen. Alex starts singing and is putting on a show for the crowd. 

Henry reads the words behind him, glancing at Alex’s face to see him staring him down at a specific line.  _ I’m not trying to be your part-time lover, sign me up for that full time. I’m yours, all yours.  _ His breath draws a bit short. Surely it’s just a show like everything else this week has been. 

But the chorus hits him just as hard, particularly under Alex’s unrelenting gaze.  _ What a man gotta do? What a man gotta do to be totally locked up by you?  _

Eventually, James jumps up and throws his arm around Alex’s shoulder and sings with him. Alex takes that time to turn it back into a show for the crowd, his attention focused less on Henry. When the song ends, the crowd bursts into applause. James waves to them like it was his performance. He’s clearly drunk already. Alex wanders back over to Henry with a grin on his face. 

“Thoughts?” 

Henry’s not quite sure what to say. “You, er, sure know how to put on a show,” he says. 

Alex nearly glares at him. “Jesus Christ, Henry.” He picks up his glass and says, “I need another drink.” Henry feels deflated as he watches him walk away. He’s not quite sure what he was supposed to say, but apparently Alex was expecting more. The last thing he needs is for Alex to be mad at him. Henry downs the rest of his own drink and tries to decide what to do. 

As he’s sitting there, Colin sits down in Alex’s seat — the only other chair at the table. 

“What do you want?” 

“Hey, man, that’s my seat,” Alex says, thankfully coming right back. 

“You vacated it,” Colin says over his shoulder. 

Alex rolls his eyes, looking about at his limit. “Look, Henry doesn’t want to talk to you. I’d like to sit by Henry and neither of us need to be around you. So, could you please just move?” 

Colin surprisingly jumps right up, gesturing for Alex to take the seat. “I was only going to tell Henry that the song I’m singing is going to be for him.” He winks at him and turns to go to the stage. 

“Dear God,” Henry sighs. 

The first notes of “Don’t You Want Me” start playing and Alex and Henry both groan. “You’re fucking kidding me,” Alex says. 

Colin sings loudly and very off key. Alex spends the entire time criticizing him. Weirdly, Henry’s glad that Colin’s being an idiot because it’s giving Alex a reason to talk to him. When he’d stalked away, Henry was sure he’d done something to piss him off, that he might need a break from him. But here he is, talking about what a wanker Colin is. Henry laughs quite hard at Alex’s use of the word ‘wanker,’ no matter how appropriate it is. 

Thankfully not long after Colin sings, they decide it’s time for another bar. Any signs of Alex’s frustration from earlier seem to be gone as he sticks to Henry’s side. Most of the men in their group seem to be drinking heavily, Henry among them. But he still feels pretty with it. 

James walks over and throws his arm around Henry’s shoulder. “This is your man, Alex,” he says, pointing at Henry. Alex and Henry share a confused and yet amused look. “So, tell me, when was the moment you knew he was the one you wanted?” 

“We don’t have to —” Henry starts but gets cut off. 

James shushes him. “I want to hear it. I was there for the start of your last relationship. I want to know all the details of this one.” Henry wants to remind him that he knew the details of the last one as well and chose not to take his side, but he doesn’t think it’s the time for it. “Alex, when did you know you liked Henry?” 

Alex watches him for a moment, a smile slowly spreading across his face. “There was this one day in our class when Henry was basically filibustering the class, going on such a passionate rant about Jane Austen. And I don’t know why, but that was it. I was…” he pauses, looking from James to Henry. “I was a goner.” 

Henry vaguely recalls going on some rant about Jane Austen. It’s certainly not surprising by any means. What  _ is  _ surprising is the fact that Alex told a real story. 

“That’s nice. I can so see him doing that,” James says. “Henry, what about you?” 

“What?” 

“When was the moment you knew you wanted to be with Alex?” 

He glances from James to Alex and back again. “I mean, look at him,” he says, forcing out a fake laugh. “What more did I need?” 

James is laughing but Alex looks annoyed. “Nope. No, no, no. I gave a real answer. You can’t just say it’s because I’m hot.” 

“Yeah!” James basically yells in Henry’s ear. “When was it for real?” 

It would be a lot easier for Henry if they’d have just accepted his answer. Honestly, he really had been immediately struck by how beautiful Alex is. It was the first thing that had distracted him. But then he heard him talk in class and it didn’t help things. Sometimes beautiful people speak and they’re idiots or assholes. 

But not Alex. Not Alex, who would occasionally sit right by Henry, leaving a seat in between, but would ask him questions in class like Henry was the smarter of the two. Alex, who asked him to study for a test and continued to pepper him with questions throughout that study session. Alex, who always interested Henry. How does he pick one specific moment? 

“Well then, I suppose there was this day that he sat right near me. There was one seat left in the small row and it was between us. Someone started coming down the row from Alex’s side and he jumped up and took the seat right next to me. As class started, he asked me if he could borrow a pen and I gave him one, but told him he had to make sure he gave it back.” Henry laughs as he remembers the memory. “And he said if he forgot to give it back to me, he’d buy me an entire pack of new pens just like the one I’d given him.” He glances at Alex with a fond smile — probably giving too much of himself away. “I was a bit disappointed when he remembered to give me back the pen.” 

Alex returns his smile, apparently pleased with his story. “I was going to buy you a pack of them anyway, but I thought I would come off as weird.” 

Henry laughs. “I’d have loved it. You can never have too many good pens.” 

“That’s so sweet,” James says, starting to slur his words. He lets go of Henry and wraps his arm around Alex’s shoulder. “Have you ever heard the story of how I met Daisy?” 

“Uh, I can’t say I have.” 

“It’s a good story.” He starts a dramatic retelling of how he met his fiancee and Henry shoots Alex a look and sneaks away to get them another round of drinks. 

There’s quite a backup at the bar and Henry feels a bit bad leaving Alex there on his own. He feels a weight on his chest, thinking how he stood there and exposed things he really thought and felt. If it’s all supposed to be an act, it would have been better to have used a fake story. 

Graham catches him at the bar and starts talking to him, keeping him from getting back to Alex. He drinks all of the drink he ordered for himself as they talk. And Graham is so chatty that he ends up drinking Alex’s as well. Henry’s well and truly lost count of how many drinks he’s had tonight. Something, no matter where they’ve been, has just kept making him drink. 

Oftentimes it’s been Colin. But even sometimes it’s been Alex. Alex and his eyes that cut through him, down to the parts he doesn’t want anyone to see. Alex and his curls he wants to sink his hands into and his lips that felt perfect under Henry’s. Alex and his looks that make Henry think he’s done something wrong. Alex and his stories that are realistic enough to fool everyone, including Henry, but are ultimately lies. Alex and his damn perfection that never lets Henry get over him. 

He orders another round and drinks to the thought of the kiss from the night before. Graham keeps talking about something — maybe work? — and is oblivious to the inner torment Henry is living through. 

He’s not sure how long he’s been talking to Graham — or just drinking— when Alex walks over. “Doing okay?” Henry nods. “You sure? Because you’re standing at an angle.” 

Henry just shrugs. “I’m fine.” 

“James just left, so I think that’s our cue to leave too.” 

They leave the bar with Henry leaning heavily on Alex as they walk. He doesn’t even know where their hotel is in relation to the bars they’ve been to tonight. He’s not sure how long they’ve been walking in silence, but he’s glad for Alex’s sturdy presence. 

He opens his mouth to say how grateful he is for Alex being there, but he starts thinking about the same things that were bothering him back at the bar. So instead of saying  _ Thank you for being my rock during this,  _ it comes out, “Have you always been such a good liar?” 

Alex’s steps slow which means that Henry either has to slow down as well or walk on his own. He slows down. “What do you mean?” 

“I mean all the lies you tell. Have you always been good at that?” 

“What lies?” Alex asks, half curious, half exasperated. Henry wonders if all he’s done tonight is annoy him. 

“Oh you know, the stories you tell. Like how you wanted to date me and how you asked me to study because you liked me. How you were so taken with my rants in class. All that shit. All the shows you put on when everyone else is around. All those lies.” 

Alex heaves Henry’s weight off of him, making him stand up on his own. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?” 

Henry’s maybe too drunk to be having this conversation. He keeps going, though. “What? I’m just curious.” 

“Did you ever think about the fact that maybe they weren’t actually  _ lies,  _ Henry?” 

His mouth opens and closes a few times, no words coming out. “No. But, how could they not be? None of that is true.” 

Alex walks away from him, groaning. He turns back and strides back to him. “How can you be so fucking blind?” 

“Blind to what?” He thinks the alcohol in his body is making his brain slow. 

“Blind to…” Alex trails off and steps right in front of Henry. Reaching out, he grabs Henry’s face in his hands and presses a hard kiss to his mouth. Henry stands there for a moment — hoping it’s not too long— before he kisses him back. Alex pulls back suddenly, breathing hard. “That,” he says pointedly. “There’s no one else around, Henry. That was just for you.” 

Henry nods, not saying anything else. He grabs Alex by the shirt and brings him back into him. His arms go around Alex as he starts kissing him deeply. He hears some small sound come from Alex and the weight on his chest from earlier dissipates. Alex follows his lead, wrapping his arms tightly around Henry until their bodies are flush together. Their hands are everywhere, Alex’s tongue tangling with his. Henry moves his hands to roam through Alex’s hair, sinking his fingers into it like he wanted to earlier. Alex pushes his hips lightly against Henry. He’s half hard from the feel of Alex’s hands on him, over him, just under the tail of his shirt. It feels like Alex is too. 

He pulls back when the need for air becomes too much. Ignoring an odd pull in his stomach, he looks at Alex — his hair a mess from Henry’s hands, his lips swollen — and he feels drunker than he did before, just on the look of him. 

“Alex, I —” he cuts himself off, the odd feeling in his stomach growing stronger. 

“What?” Alex strokes a hand against his cheek. 

There’s no warning before Henry throws up on the sidewalk, covering both their shoes. Henry’s doubled over, feeling awful physically and emotionally. 

“Oh my god,” Alex says in a small voice. 

It’s worse than a cold bucket of water thrown on them. Henry doesn’t have to stand up and look at Alex to know that the moment has been ruined. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy. I don't know which one I feel more sorry for. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading! I am going to be pretty busy in November working on another project. I can't say that I WON'T update in the month of November, I'm just saying that it's not super likely with all the other writing I'll be doing. I still love this story and have the rest of it all planned out and will definitely be finishing it, I just have to take a small break! 
> 
> I hope you'll be back for more when I get to update next! Thanks for all the comments and kudos!


	14. Instant Regret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I'm back! 
> 
> Basically, I missed this fic so I wanted to take the time to update it. Also, just want to brag on myself a bit, I'm 32k into my NaNo project! Thank you for waiting with me while I had to take a break on this one. I'm not sure when I'll get to update next. Hopefully soon!

The next morning, all Henry knows for certain is that his head feels like it’s been run over by a car with bricks for wheels. A long groan echoes from him as he opens his eyes in their bright room and he immediately closes them again. He’s not honestly sure if he can sit up. Putting a hand to his head, he peeks open one eye. Everything is fuzzy until he manages the strength to open both. 

Very slowly, Henry moves his body into a sitting position. He brings his knees to his chest and lays his head on them, wrapping his arms around his legs. There’s a nasty feeling in his stomach and he’s not 100% sure he’s not going to puke. 

The door to their room opens and Henry whips his head in that direction. It’s immediately a mistake. His head throbs painfully. He puts a hand to his head again, cringing. 

“You’re awake!” Alex says brightly. Henry hisses in a breath at the sound. “Oops, my bad,” he whispers. 

Alex walks toward him, his eyes appraising him. Once he’s at Henry’s bedside, he reaches for a bottle of pills on the nightstand. Henry hadn’t noticed those yet. There’s a glass of water there as well. Henry looks back at Alex and his offering, shocked that he’s being taken care of. 

“Maybe this’ll help,” Alex offers in a small voice. He reaches out and places a soft hand against Henry’s head. He wants to lean into it so badly, but he doesn’t know what Alex is doing. So instead, he pulls back awkwardly and pours a few pills into his hand. As he swallows them down, he doesn’t miss the hurt look on Alex’s face. 

“Let’s hope,” he says in reply. “Please tell me we don’t have something obnoxious to do today. God, I don’t even know what day it is.” 

A startled laugh ekes out of Alex. Henry glances over at him, his eyes slits against the light. “Oh you’re serious.” Henry nods. Alex sits down on his bed slowly. “It’s Thursday.” 

“Thursday, good.” He grimaces. “And remind me, what did we have planned for Thursday?” 

He can hear Alex taking a deep breath, a few actually, before he answers. “Uh, we were just going to go wander around Brighton today. Have some fun away from everyone else or whatever. You don’t have anything to do until this evening. What is it?” He jumps up and finds the paper. “Oh, cigars and whiskey with just the groomsmen.” 

“That sounds awful in my current state.” 

Alex laughs. “Well, that’s apparently what you get for drinking like a frat boy.” 

“I suppose I did then, didn’t I?” He rubs a hand over his head. “I guess I wouldn’t feel like this if I hadn’t.” 

“You don’t remember?” 

“I can’t say I recall how much I had to drink.”

Alex nods, a concerned look spreading on his face. “Henry, do you remember last night?” 

He wants to immediately say  _ Yes, of course I do. How could you accuse me of such a thing?  _ But the fact is that he’s not sure he does remember. “Er, I might.” He cringes, looking over at Alex. “Remind me of what happened?” 

The last thing he expects is the wounded look on Alex’s face. He wishes he knew why Alex was so off put by Henry drinking too much. “Okay, so what’s the last thing you remember?” 

He racks his brain to try and recall the night before. Flashes of little things pop up here and there. “Well, I remember us being at the karaoke bar.” 

“ _ That’s  _ the last thing you remember?” Alex asks, a tinge of panic to his voice. 

“No, no, I’m sure there’s more.” Henry strains to think of something else. He wants to reassure Alex that he’s blacked out before and it’ll be fine, but he doesn’t know if that will actually help him. “Uh, I recall the two of us talking to James. He was being really weird about asking us about our relationship.” 

When he looks up at Alex, he offers a smile, but he’s not given one in reply. Alex looks hollowed out and hurt. Suddenly, he stands up and walks toward the door. Henry feels concerned. Has he done something to drive Alex away? 

“I’m going to go run an errand. Or something. I’ll be back in a bit,” Alex says in a small, gruff voice. 

“Alex, wait!” Henry calls, hurting his head. He waits inside the door, turning his head a fraction of the way toward Henry. “Look, I’m sorry if you think I ruined our plans for today. But once this medicine kicks in, I’ll be fine. We can go have a good time, I promise. Believe me, I know you’ve earned it.” 

Alex turns to fully look at Henry. He opens his mouth to say something, but closes it again. The same thing happens again and finally he sighs and shrugs. “Great. Fine.” And he walks from the room. 

Henry stares at the door for a long time after Alex left. There’s an uneasy feeling in his stomach and he doesn’t know why. Something feels off with Alex. Without knowing what or how, Henry thinks he hurt him. 

He’s not sure how long Alex has been gone. In the time he went to do whatever he’s doing, Henry made himself stand for a long time under a hot shower. He’s drank a few tall glasses of water to try and make his head feel normal again. There’s a bag of crisps left and Henry scarfs them down, hoping they’ll aid in his getting back to normal. When Alex finally does come back, he leaves a breakfast sandwich on the nightstand and makes Henry eat it. It’s comforting to have Alex trying to take care of him again. Maybe that means he hasn’t  _ totally  _ pissed him off. 

Still, the whole time they’re in the room together, Alex sits curled in on himself and won’t look at Henry. It’s not the kind of thing he can just ignore. 

It’s the early afternoon by the time that Henry feels up to going out in Brighton. His stupid groomsmen thing isn’t until after dinner, so he hopes that’s enough time for Alex to get to do what he wants. 

It’s a distressingly bright day out. Normally these are the things that Brits relish, a surprisingly sunny day. But Henry’s head still aches a bit and squinting from the light isn’t helping. 

Alex is quiet as they stroll through town. They’re not going anywhere in particular, but that was always the plan. Any time they need to make a choice on which way to go next, Henry will ask and Alex will just shrug and sullenly point one way or another. Henry tries not to dwell on it, but he can’t get Alex’s face out of his head. He can’t imagine what he must have done to make him look so miserable. 

Finally, Henry can’t take it anymore. He’s been chattering on relentlessly, trying to fill the abnormal silence between them. Alex is only giving him one word answers,  _ if that.  _

“Is something wrong?” he asks, a bit scared of the answer. 

Alex shakes his head. “It’s fine.” He pulls ahead and walks past Henry. 

“Alex, if something is bothering you, please talk to me about it.” 

“Don’t worry. Everything’s fine.” From the tone of his voice, everything is  _ far  _ from fine. 

A familiar sense of dread sets in and Henry can’t take it anymore. “Please don’t do this,” he says in a shaky voice. 

“I’m not doing anything.” Alex is ahead of him still not looking at him. 

“This is exactly how it started with them,” Henry tells him, his voice wobbling. “I could tell that something was wrong but when I pressed them, they insisted that everything was fine. I can’t do this again, especially not with you, Alex. Please just tell me what’s going on!” 

Alex turns around and looks at him. He looks miserable. It’s clear he just wants to shove whatever it is under the rug and move on, but Henry’s not going to let him. When people have to part to move around them, Henry grabs Alex’s arm and ducks them into a small alley. 

“Please talk to me.” 

Alex still is barely meeting his eyes. He stares down at his feet and shakes his head. “I’m just embarrassed.” 

“Why?” Henry’s voice has a pleading note to it. 

“Because I did something...stupid.” 

Henry wants to groan and shake him. Where is the can’t-shut-up Alex that he’s known for the past month and a half? “Okay,  _ what _ ?” 

Alex bites his lip and keeps shaking his head. He’ll look at anywhere in this damn alley but Henry. “I kissed you,” he whispers. 

Henry feels like the wind has been knocked out of him. He’s so confused and wonders how the fuck he doesn’t remember something as monumental as that. “What?” 

“Yeah. I kissed you and then you puked.” 

“What? In front of you?” He’s positively horrified that he could have gotten sick in front of Alex. So much for trying to make himself look attractive. 

“Actually, you puked on me. A little bit.” 

Henry’s mouth hangs open and he feels like an idiot. “Oh my god,” he whispers to himself. Looking up at Alex, he says, “Okay, let’s go back to the fact that we kissed.” 

“Let’s not. Clearly it didn’t mean anything to you because you don’t even remember.” 

“Alex, I —” 

“It doesn’t matter,” Alex says, trying to walk away from him. 

“Would you please stop?” Henry cries. He’s trying to get his mind in order. How could he forget Alex kissing him? He still remembers their kiss the other night. Was it like that? A kiss for show? “If I ask you a question, will you answer it?” Alex shrugs in reply. Henry huffs out a breath, still wanting to shake him a bit. “Was it...was it for real?” 

“What?” 

“The kiss. Was it for show like the others or was it for real?” 

Alex looks miserable again. “It was real,” he mumbles. With a sigh, he adds, “But it doesn’t fucking matter, does it?” 

“Yes, it does matter!” Alex scoffs like he doesn’t believe him. Henry takes a deep breath, wondering if anything he says will really persuade Alex. He remembers the saying  _ Actions speak louder than words _ and he knows what he has to do. 

Before Alex can move away from him again, Henry cups his face in his hands and kisses him soundly. If his actions are supposed to speak louder than his words, he needs this kiss to show Alex how much he wants him. He’s not even sure how he forgot something like this the first time. 

“Henry, wait,” Alex says, pushing him back a bit. Henry’s stomach sinks as he waits for the rejection. While he didn’t  _ choose  _ to blackout and forget their kiss, he still doesn’t feel like it should warrant being rejected when they both have feelings for each other. Henry takes a step back, his eyes on his feet. He can’t believe he ever let himself think he could really be with Alex. “Have you been drinking at all today?” 

Henry’s head snaps up and he looks at Alex in confusion. A small smirk spreads on the other man’s face. Henry feels himself start to grin as well. “Nope. Not a drop.” 

Alex’s hand runs up and tangles in the hair at the base of Henry’s skull. “Good,” he says, stepping closer to him, “just had to make sure you’ll remember later.” 

Henry breathes out a laugh before he leans back down and kisses him again. His arms wind around Alex’s back, pressing him closer. Alex follows his lead. Henry moves his hands to sink into Alex’s curls. He’s vaguely aware of the wall right behind Alex. Walking them forward, he pushes him against the wall and crowds up against him. Alex lets out a sound that makes Henry’s insides turn molten. Henry grins at him before he kisses him again. There’s no space between them and neither of them are very shy with their hands. 

Not really paying attention to where they are, Henry slots his thigh between Alex’s legs and groans as Alex grinds down against it. 

While he was the one who started it, Henry’s also the first one to break away. He has to take a full step back from Alex, no matter how excruciating it feels. “Okay, so we’re still in public,” he reminds them both. 

Alex has a shameless grin on his face. Henry can’t resist it. He steps right back in and kisses him again. Alex has the nerve to chuckle against his lips. Henry pinches his side, not breaking their kiss. Alex squirms against him. He moves his mouth and kisses a trail along Henry’s jaw and throat. 

Henry’s starting to lose all train of thought and knows he desperately needs to think. His hand winds back into Alex’s hair and clutches at him. Finally, he finds some strange amount of strength and he pulls back from him again. 

“Okay, for real, we’re in public,” Henry says, a bit out of breath. 

“Here’s what I’m thinking,” Alex announces. He sticks out a finger as he counts off their options. “One, we could keep wandering around and exploring the town. Or two, we could explore...other things…”

Henry shoots him a positively smug grin and nods as he steps closer to him again. “I like your options. I think the second one really has the most merit.” 

“I was thinking the same thing,” Alex agrees as he reaches out and runs a hand along Henry’s side. “God, we got so far away from the hotel. I hate this.” 

“I mean, we’ve waited this stupidly long. I think we can manage it.” Henry flashes him a grin. 

Alex looks him up and down, his eyes darkening a bit. “I’m not so sure.” 

Henry feels heat pooling in his stomach as he stares back at Alex. “Maybe we should power walk.” 

It really does feel like an excruciatingly long trip back to the hotel. The plan of taking random turns only ends up confusing them as they try to work their way back. Finally, Henry says fuck it and pulls out walking directions. Alex laughs and presses a kiss to his neck. He’s not really helping matters. 

By the time they actually get back to their hotel, they’re both incredibly riled up. Henry’s hands are shaking as he tries to get the key in the door. Alex kissing his way against Henry’s jaw isn’t really helping, nor is his hand that’s low on Henry’s back. The key finally turns in the lock and Henry throws the door open desperately. He turns around and grabs Alex by the belt and pulls him in. 

The door has barely been closed a full thirty seconds by the time Alex is reaching for the hem of Henry’s shirt and ripping it off him. Henry follows suit, stripping Alex of his shirt before immediately running his hands along Alex’s body. He groans and pulls Henry in for a deep kiss. As he kisses him, Alex pushes at Henry’s shorts, undoing his belt and shoving them down his legs, boxers and all. 

Alex lets out a small gasp and looks him up and down. “God, you’re beautiful,” he says before crushing his lips against Henry’s. He clutches to him, letting Alex lead the way. He’s so shocked by everything happening. An embarrassing moan releases from him as Alex grabs ahold of him. He breaks apart from him and rests his forehead against Alex’s, breathing hard as Alex moves his hand. His fingers are digging into the skin at Alex’s shoulders. 

He thinks his body is leading him more than his mind when he reaches out to shuck off Alex’s shorts as well. Alex steps back from him with a grin as he lets Henry undress him as well. Henry has the same damn reaction once he sees Alex completely naked. There’s also a whisper of  _ why haven’t we been doing this the whole time?  _

Their bodies nearly collide as they kiss again, fervently. Henry feels himself being pushed down onto the bed — he’s not even sure which one — and lets it happen. Alex stands over him, staring down at him, mostly hard and waiting. 

“God, I can’t believe it’s two twin beds,” Alex whines as he runs his hands up Henry’s legs. 

Henry bursts out laughing. “I knew it! I knew that at one point, you’d join me in my outrage over the twin bed situation.” 

Alex laughs with him as he climbs up Henry’s body and straddles him. “Can I tell you a secret?” he asks. Henry rests his hands on Alex’s thighs on either side of his body and nods, his breathing coming a bit shorter. Alex leans down and whispers in Henry’s ear, “I was always mad about it.” 

Henry groans and rocks his hips forward, pulling Alex in for a long kiss. Their hands are everywhere. Sure, the two of them on a fucking twin is a bit crowded, but neither of them are focused on that, but are instead focused on the heat between them. Alex grinds his hips down against Henry’s, making him choke out a sound that does nothing but rile Alex up more. 

Alex kisses his way down Henry’s neck. Without warning, he breaks apart from Henry and springs off the bed. “What are you doing?” Henry nearly whines. 

With a smug grin, Alex looks back at him as he crouches over his bag. “I’m getting something.” Henry pushes himself up on his elbows and sees the stuff Alex is rifling past. 

“Did you bring condoms?” Alex gives him a sheepish look. “Goodness, you were much more confident in this than I was.” He lays back down on the bed with a laugh. 

Alex walks back over with a small bottle of lube and the box of condoms from his bag. He leaves both on the nightstand and climbs back on top of Henry. “If I’m being honest,” he says, picking up where he left off on Henry’s neck, “Nora snuck the condoms into my bag and I found them once I got here.” Henry laughs, wrapping his arms around Alex. It sounds exactly like something Nora would do. “But...I mean, now, I’m not mad that I have them,” he says, nipping at Henry’s neck. 

Henry moans and pulls Alex in for a kiss. “I’m not mad either.” The two of them are kissing passionately, writhing against each other, more than ready for more. He breaks away from Alex and pants out, “Why don’t we put them to use?” 

Alex stares at him, desire plain on his face. He flashes him a small grin before he kisses him again. “Are you sure?” he asks against his lips. 

Henry rolls his eyes. He attaches his hands to Alex’s ass and presses down as he shoves his hips up, grinding against Alex. “I think I’m sure,” he says with a raised brow. He snakes his hand down between them and grabs ahold of Alex. His eyes flutter shut as he presses his forehead to Henry’s shoulder at the way Henry is working his hand. “Are you okay with that?” 

Alex moans and picks his head up to look at him. “God, yes.” He kisses Henry deeply before pulling back and grabbing the lube. 

He slicks up his fingers as they both try to readjust on the bed. One finger circles his rim and he looks to Henry. With a nod, Henry tells him what he needs to know right before he gasps at the feeling of Alex’s fingers entering him. It’s been so long and already Alex is making him feel so good. 

Henry already feels like he’s losing control just at the feeling of Alex’s fingers, at the look he’s giving him, at the short kisses he’s intermittently giving. It’s all so much in the best way. When he starts pushing down on him, Alex looks up, waiting for Henry’s cue. “I’m ready,” he breathes. 

Alex nods and pulls his fingers out, grabbing a condom. Henry feels the loss and is impatient waiting for Alex to return to him. He kneels in front of him, hovering, taking in the moment. Alex leans forward and kisses him as he slowly pushes in. Henry gasps and Alex swallows it. He pauses, sheathed within him, and lets him adjust. 

Henry pulls him down and kisses him deeply, feeling delightfully full. “Go on, love,” he whispers. Alex smiles and kisses him once more before he starts moving. 

He starts out slowly, setting a long, languid pattern, using gentle flicks of his hips. Henry wraps his legs around Alex’s waist and uses his heels to pull him in closer. The pace starts to quicken between them. Henry shoots his hips up to meet Alex’s thrusts and everything feels so good. Alex adjusts his angle and Henry is crying out around him. He hits that spot repeatedly. Henry can feel himself falling apart. He pulls Alex down and kisses him desperately, panting when Alex grabs ahold of him and moves his hand in time with his hips. 

His hand is tangled in Alex’s hair, their lips pressed together as Henry finds release. Alex groans as he tucks his face in Henry’s neck and finishes as well. He collapses on top of Henry. It’s the best and certainly most relaxed Henry’s felt in ages. He wraps his arms around Alex’s back and holds him there. 

Alex presses a kiss against his neck. His hand rests at Henry’s cheek as Alex lays there on top of him. “Holy shit,” he breathes. 

“Agreed.” 

“That was... _ incredible.  _ I mean…” 

Henry nods, pressing a kiss to his head. “It was.” 

Alex pushes himself up a bit, his arms shaking a bit, and kisses Henry soft and slow. He has a regretful look on his face as he breaks away and separates from him. After he disposes of the condom, he comes back with a warm towel and cleans Henry up gently. He returns again and curls in against Henry. It’s a snug fit on a twin bed, but they don’t really care enough to do anything else. Henry pulls him in close and Alex wraps his arm around him as their legs tangle together. He can’t help but stare at Alex, wondering how this actually happened. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure he would ever be lucky enough. 

Alex grins up at him as he rubs his hand along Henry’s back. The two of them lean in at the same time, kissing slowly, no rush in the world. 

Henry’s previous hangover is but a distant memory. He’s never felt this good, this wanted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if you were thrown off by the chapter title, if you're a person who pays attention to those. I didn't want to give everything away with the title. And really, they both did have instant regret at the beginning of the chapter. Definitely not at the end. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and again, thank you for waiting! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	15. A Day of Bliss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!! I hit my 50k in NaNo and took a break on that story for a bit! It was fun to add more to this story. Shoutout to Maggie for our inadvertent deal! ;)
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Any plans they had for the day have obviously been thrown out the window. Henry lays with his shoulders against the cheap headboard while Alex lays against his chest, his body tucked between Henry’s legs. Every so often, Alex presses a kiss to Henry’s chest, or his shoulder, or his jaw — anywhere he can reach without having to move much. Each time, Henry delights in it, running his hand through Alex’s hair and returning the gesture. 

“Alex, can I ask you something?” 

He glances up at Henry. “You can ask me anything you want. I’m an open book.” 

Henry chuckles, ruffling his hair. He can’t stop touching Alex’s curls. “Perhaps I’m assuming too much, but...well...hmm, how do I want to put this?” 

Alex picks his head up and looks at Henry, one eyebrow raised. He leans in and kisses him quickly before laying back down. “You don’t have to worry about offending me.” 

Henry sighs. “What else happened last night?” 

“Is that really what you were nervous about asking?” 

“No, I asked something else instead.” 

Sitting up, Alex stares at him. “What were you going to ask me?” 

Henry waves a hand. “We’ll get to that later. Now I’m more curious about what I missed. What I’ve forgotten. Did I do anything else incredibly embarrassing?” 

Alex turns over, leaning his back against Henry’s chest. Henry puts his arms around him, wrapping him up and holding him there. “Hmm. Well, we’ve discussed the obscene amount of drinking. The kiss you forgot. The puking.” 

“I didn’t need reminding of that.” 

“Oh, but I think you did,” Alex says with a smirk, turning back to look at him. “I never want you to forget that after being called a liar and then kissing you, I then cleaned up your puke off both our shoes and got you into bed.” 

Henry groans, leaning his head back against the headboard. “Dear god. I’m appalled.” 

“It’ll make for a good story one day.” 

“Wait, I called you a liar?” 

Alex laughs, leaning his head back against Henry’s shoulder, leaning up to press a kiss to the underside of Henry’s jaw. “Yep.” He goes on to tell him all about what Henry said. Frankly, Henry’s not too upset to forget all of that along with the puking. “It was a fun night.” 

Henry leans down and presses a kiss to the side of Alex’s neck. “That does...sort of...relate to what I was going to ask you originally.” 

“Do tell.” Alex lays his hands on Henry’s arms. 

“Well, all the stories you’ve told. If they weren’t total fabrications, as apparently you’ve had to say twice now, does that mean there’s some truth to them?” 

“What are you really asking? Just come out and ask it.” 

Henry squeezes his arms tighter around Alex with a sigh. “I guess I was just wondering...well, really I was thinking about —” 

“Henry!” 

“Fine! I was thinking about the story you told about asking me out at the end of our class. Was that something you actually wanted to do or did you just make that up for a nice story?” 

Alex is silent for a moment, his finger running back and forth, tracing a random pattern on Henry’s hand. “I wanted to.” 

“Why didn’t you then?” 

He can feel Alex take a deep breath. “I was going to. I followed you out after our final, but I saw you with someone else and I guess I thought he was your boyfriend, so I backed off and went the other way.” 

“What?” Henry’s racking his brain to try and remember anything remotely close to what Alex could be talking about. 

“There was some guy who gave you this big hug and maybe flowers or something, I can’t remember exactly anymore,” Alex tells him, “but he totally seemed like your boyfriend.” 

“Oh my god,” Henry breathes. He dips his head down and puts his forehead against Alex’s shoulder. “I remember it now. That wasn’t my boyfriend. It was Pez.” 

“What?” Alex seems stunned. “Did you ever date Pez?” 

“No,” Henry says with a shake of his head. “He is an incredibly affectionate person, so I can see the confusion. That’s just how he is. But I remember it now. He showed up after our final. That was my last test of the semester and he was congratulating me on completing my first semester at a new school. He likes to make a big show of things.” Henry groans. “I cannot believe that Percy of all people got in the way.” 

Alex laughs, snuggling in a bit to Henry’s chest. “Damn, when I finally meet him, I’m going to have to smack him. To think this could have happened a long time ago.” He clears his throat. “I mean...assuming you’d have said yes.” 

“Oh, I’d have said yes. No doubt about it.” Henry presses a kiss to Alex’s head. “Wait, so did you know who I was when we met in the coffeeshop?” 

“I knew who you were when I replied to the ad,” Alex confesses. 

Henry squeezes him. “You did?” 

“Of course I did. Why did you think I replied?” 

“Well you  _ repeatedly  _ mentioned wanting a free trip, so that was my assumption...you know, based on you actually saying it.” 

“I think I mentioned that like only the day that we got coffee and then you kept throwing it around every other time,” Alex reminds him. “Frankly, I was starting to get pissed off about it.” 

“Seriously?” 

“Yeah, when you told your sister that was the only reason I was here, I was kind of pissed.” 

Henry kisses his shoulder. “Well, I was quite certain I was alone in my feelings. I suppose I latched onto the easiest explanation of why you were here.” 

“You didn’t think that at some point in the month before we left that I might have come up with different reasons for joining you? I mean, Henry, why do you think I kept asking you to hang out with me?” 

Henry bursts out laughing. “I assumed you were a demon who needed to make my life a living hell by making me spend time with you as your friend when all I wanted to do was kiss you.” 

Alex joins him in laughing, reaching an arm back to touch Henry’s face. “I was pretty much in the same boat, if we’re being totally honest. I thought I lucked into a fantastic chance to make you spend time with me.” The two of them sit there in a comfortable silence. Henry holds him tightly, not wanting to let him go. He can’t believe all the chances they’ve been given before this week. Eerily speaking the words on his mind, Alex says, “I can’t believe we could have gotten together a year ago.” 

Henry runs a hand through Alex’s hair, kissing his cheek. “Yes, but it’s probably for the best we didn’t.” 

“Why?” 

He takes a deep breath, thinking back on the person he was a year ago. “I’d just broken up with Colin four months earlier and had uprooted my life to move to New York. I was too fragile to have been in a relationship.” He pauses, pulling Alex tighter against him. “I don’t think I’d have been ready for you.” 

Alex pulls away from him, turning around to face him. He reaches out and cups Henry’s face, staring into his eyes intently. “And what about now?” 

Henry grins broadly at him, reaching up to cup his face as well. “Very,  _ very  _ ready.” 

A pleased smile crosses Alex’s face just before he leans in and kisses Henry deeply. Henry lays out beneath him. Alex moves with him, kissing him into the mattress. He presses his mouth along Henry’s jaw, neck, and collarbones, licking a stripe against the latter. Henry groans as he starts to kiss down his chest and tangles his fingers in Alex’s hair. As he presses kisses to his abdomen, Alex’s hands are already ahead of him, running a gentle path across his hips and down the inside of his thighs. Henry’s positively squirming, itching for him to touch him right where he needs him. 

Alex presses a kiss to his hipbone before he looks up at Henry, his eyes blown wide. He moves down until he’s nearly at eye level with Henry’s cock and then licks his lips. Henry groans at the sight. Alex grins up at him before taking him in his mouth. Henry moans his name helplessly. He keeps his head up, watching as Alex works him with his mouth. It feels incredible. Even with an earlier orgasm, he still doesn’t feel like he’ll last very long. The sight of Alex alone is riling him up. 

He collapses back against the mattress, unable to keep himself propped up to watch. Alex’s mouth feels like heaven on him. He’s close, so close. His fingers pull at Alex’s hair, making him moan around Henry’s cock. That starts to send him over the edge. 

“Alex, Alex, I’m —” 

Looking down, he sees Alex hollow out his cheeks, taking Henry deeper right as he finds his release. He swallows him down before pulling back. Alex’s hand grips him through his oversensitivity. When Henry looks down, he sees one of Alex’s hands on him and the other on himself. As fast as he can make himself move through his post-orgasm haze, Henry crawls down to Alex, pushing his hand away and replacing it with his own, kissing Alex desperately. It’s only a few pumps before Alex is coming as well. 

“Was that just from —” 

Alex shuts him up with another heated kiss. Both of them collapse back against the bed, sticky and in desperate need of a shower, but unwilling to move just yet. “The sounds you were making, the way you looked,” Alex tells him. “It was just too much.” 

Henry doesn’t quite know what to say to that, so he just kisses Alex again. 

“What time do you have to go do your thing tonight?” Alex asks. 

“Oh fuck it. I’ll just skip.” 

“You shouldn’t,” Alex tells him. “I’ll still be here when you get back. Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.” 

“Why do you want me to go?” 

Alex is silent for a long beat and Henry’s concerned that he’s not going to tell him. “I feel like it’ll be good for you,” he says in a small voice. “I feel like this week is helping you get closure at least on your friendships. And James and Daisy haven’t seemed  _ that  _ bad. I mean, you think that too, right?” 

“Yeah, I do.” 

“I just think it’s got to be good for you to have these moments with them to help replace the other terrible memories you have. Nothing’s going to redeem Colin, nor should it, but I think you deserve to have a good time with your friends before you fly back across the ocean again,” Alex offers. 

Henry stares at him for a moment, blown away by his thoughtfulness. Finally, he just nods, pressing a kiss to Alex’s forehead. “I suppose you make a fair point,” he eventually says. “But I’ll only go if you join me in the shower.” 

“Well twist my arm,” Alex jokes, jumping up out of the bed and taking off for the en suite. Henry admires his ass as he walks after him. 

Henry sits with the other guys on a patio outside the hotel. He nurses his whiskey, not too eager to drink. After his hangover this morning, plus nearly botching everything with Alex, the last thing he wants to do is get shitfaced again. He’s not even smoking a cigar — it’s never been his thing. 

Instead, he sits and listens to the other men, content to do just that. 

James is the one to bring him into the fray. “Henry, you have just been sitting there with a goofy grin on your face this entire time. What is going on?” 

Henry just shrugs and takes a sip of his whiskey. “I’ve just had a good day. That’s all.” 

James elbows the man next to him with a wink. “I think we know what that means,” he says looking back at Henry. “You and Alex even leave the room?” 

For the first time this whole trip, everything Henry’s about to say is the verified truth. He doesn’t say it to make Colin feel bad or to prove a point, it’s just answering a damn question. With a sheepish grin, Henry says, “Oh, for about an hour.” 

While the other guys are cheering for him or sharing their own stories, Henry’s mind can’t help but stray back to Alex. It was certainly an afternoon he’d never really counted on. If Alex hadn’t nearly insisted on him coming to this, he’d still be there, in Alex’s arms. 

It feels like it takes ages, but when Henry looks down at his watch, it’s really only been shy of two hours. Still, his pace is a bit faster than it normally would be as he heads back to his room. 

He goes to throw open the door and is stopped by the chain. “What the…?” 

“Don’t come in!” Alex yells. “And don’t look!” 

Naturally, Henry only wants to look between the small crack in the door and the frame to see what Alex is up to. “Alex, would you please just let me in? If you’re not clothed, that’s fine. I’ve seen you naked.” 

Alex laughs as he walks closer to the door. “That’s obviously not it.” He presses the door closed while he undoes the chain. Henry expects him to throw the door back open, but he still just opens it a crack. “Cover your eyes. I have a surprise.” Henry stares at him, a nearly pleading look on his face. Alex shoots him back his own look, standing resolute in his plans. 

“Fine,” Henry sighs, clapping a hand over his eyes. 

Alex takes his other arm and gently directs him inside. He puts a hand over Henry’s. “Just so you don’t peek.” Henry laughs, squeezing his hand in Alex’s. He’s only brought a few steps into the room before Alex stops them again. “Okay, open.” 

Unsure of what he’s going to find, Henry drops his hand and laughs. “You pushed the beds together?” 

Alex grins up at him, nodding in confirmation. “You bet I did. I even belted it along the frames so it won’t come apart if we’re...you know...in the act.” 

Henry laughs harder, bringing Alex in for a deep kiss. “It was a brilliant idea,” he says against his lips as they part. Alex grins and presses another quick kiss to his mouth. 

“It makes the room a bit harder to get around in, mainly just to get into the bathroom, but I figure we can make do.” 

Pulling Alex in by his waist, Henry leans down and kisses him slowly. Alex wraps his arms around him, holding him the same way Henry’s holding him. “I love it,” he finally says. 

“I’m glad,” Alex whispers. He pulls back, giving Henry a look. “You taste like whiskey.” 

“What do you expect after you sent me off to Whiskey and Cigar night?” 

Alex raises one eyebrow, watching him. “And how much did you have to drink, Henry?” 

He laughs, kissing Alex quickly. “Only  _ one.  _ I was very cautious not to repeat my past mistakes, though I’m not sure even drinking myself to another blackout would make me forget today.” 

“Good answer.” He leans up and kisses Henry again before he retreats. “Did you eat with them?” 

“There were some nuts or bar snacks.” He walks after Alex, scooching around the bed in his wake. 

“That’s it?” Henry shrugs. “Well, I’m glad I thought ahead.” He pulls a bag toward him and hands it to Henry. “I realized after you left that we never ate this afternoon. Obviously, we were a bit busy. But you also barely ate breakfast, so…” 

Henry stares down into the bag, seeing a sandwich and multiple bags of crisps and some of the snacks he’d bought the first night they were there. Looking up at Alex, he feels a smile spread across his face. “You’re taking care of me.” 

Alex shrugs. “And what of it?” He throws himself back on the bed and gestures for Henry to eat. Henry sits down, digging through the bag. When he takes his first bite of the sandwich, he earns a smile from Alex. “How was whiskey and cigars?” 

“Rather dull.” 

“Not a rolicking time?” Alex asks with a laugh. 

“It was no trivia night,” Henry says. “Then again, I don’t know any of them that could fight for the right — or sometimes  _ wrong  _ — answer like Nora can.” 

Alex grabs for his phone as he laughs loudly. “I’m going to tell her you said that. She’s going to be pissed.” 

Henry easily takes his phone and sits on it. “No, don’t get me uninvited from trivia.” 

“Are you serious? I think June would kick  _ me  _ off the team before she kicked you off the team. When Nora asked a million questions about our plans for this week when we’d told them what we were going to do, June got mad at me.” 

“Why?” 

“She didn’t want me to fuck things up and have you not come back to trivia.” 

Henry leans his head back and laughs, shaking his head in disbelief. “Glad I’m a valuable part of the team.” 

“You apparently are,” Alex says with a smirk. “Nora kept giving me suggestions and June kept getting more and more mad.” 

“Suggestions like sneaking condoms into your bag?” Henry asks with a grin. 

“Certainly along those lines.” 

“Did she know?” 

“Did she know that I’ve had a thing for you for an embarrassingly long time? Uh, maybe. Though, I think she kind of figured that out on her own.” 

Henry chuckles to himself. “Is that why she casually mentioned that you were bi at the first trivia night I went to?”

Alex rolls his eyes, groaning. “Yes, probably.” 

He watches him for a moment as he thinks back on that first night. “Were things weird for you too that night or was I the only one feeling that?” 

Of all the ways he’d describe Alex, Henry never would have expected to use the word bashful. And yet, his expression could only be described as such. “No, I was being weird.” 

Henry laughs a bit, opening a bag of crisps, extending it to Alex. “And why’s that?”

“I thought I was being too obvious. I guess after Nora made some comment, I just got really self conscious and started acting weirdly. I felt like an idiot. But, I would like to remind you that until earlier this afternoon, I’d thought you had a boyfriend when we were in that class.” 

He shakes his head. “Yeah, but you knew I didn’t have a boyfriend in May. Or else none of this would have ever happened.” 

“Well, sure,” Alex agrees, “but that doesn’t mean I thought you liked me back.” 

Henry can’t help but laugh. “Jesus, and here I thought I was being far too obvious myself.” 

Alex scooches closer to him, stealing another crisp from him. “Do you think everyone else could see that we were being obvious?” 

“Pez certainly thought so, even just from stories I told him.” 

“Nora and June thought it was obvious.” 

“Hence the condoms,” Henry says with a laugh. 

“Maybe being obvious helped us sell it all better,” Alex muses as Henry puts his trash in the bin before sitting back down on the bed. Alex crawls closer to him. “Personally, I always liked being authentic better,” he whispers before kissing Henry. 

Henry presses him into the mattress, pinning his wrists above his head, a smug grin on his face. “Oh yes, far better to be real.” Alex surges up and Henry meets him in the middle, kissing him almost desperately. Henry pulls back for a moment, a wicked look in his eye. “Do you feel I’ve had enough to eat? Do you feel satisfied with my care?” 

Alex shakes his head, a clearly amused but annoyed expression burning back at Henry. “Shut up.” He pulls Henry back down, kissing him with a single minded focus. Henry already knows it’ll be a night he won’t forget. 


	16. Rehearsing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a Christmas Eve miracle, y'all! I am genuinely sorry that it took me nearly a month to update this story. I appreciate all of you that are still reading. I was working on a fic for an exchange (that will post tomorrow!!!) and it took up a lot of my writing time. I'm hoping now that I don't have any other works to focus on, I'll be able to update more frequently! 
> 
> Happy Holidays!! I hope you all have a wonderful day whether you celebrate or not! Thank you all for reading!

Henry clearly didn’t think things all the way through when he decided to bring Alex along on this trip. Because now, they’re spending every free moment they have wrapped around each other and Henry doesn’t want to go do any of the “duties” he’s supposed to be doing. But how on earth is he supposed to tear himself away from Alex when he’s been dreaming of being with him as long as he’s known the man? 

Alex is kissing along his neck, seemingly no real intention. “Today’s the rehearsal dinner?” 

“Mmhmm,” Henry says, winding his hand through Alex’s curls, mainly just because he  _ can.  _

“Do we have to do anything?” 

“Do you think I care?” He turns his head and catches Alex’s lips. They kiss almost lazily, like they don’t have anywhere to be. If Henry has any say, they wouldn’t have anywhere to be. Sure enough, by 10:00 in the morning, his phone is buzzing on the nightstand. He waits until they’ve reached the closest thing to a stopping point before he checks it. His time with Alex is always going to be a priority. 

He rolls his eyes as he reads a text from James to the groomsmen, asking them to be in the hall in the next hour to help with set up. Alex lays his head on Henry’s shoulder and reads the text. With a sigh, he sits up and gets out of bed. 

“Where are you going?” Henry asks. 

Alex gives him a confused look. “That text said we have an hour before we need to be helping set up. I was going to shower.” 

“You don’t have to shower,” Henry tries. “We could just stay here for the next 55 minutes and then throw on clothes and be over there.” 

With a laugh, Alex walks closer to the bed. Henry starts to get his hopes up that his feeble response worked. Alex leans down until his lips are inches from Henry’s. “Think of what we’ve done in the last day. I  _ need  _ a shower.” 

Henry starts to smirk, but Alex kisses him. “Fine, fine, fine,” he sighs as Alex walks away. Unabashedly, he stares at him as he saunters into the bathroom. When the door closes behind him, Henry lays his head down on the pillow, replaying the last 24 hours. It’s been truly insane and more than he ever expected out of this trip. Though from the sound of it, perhaps he  _ should  _ have known. 

He thinks back to Bea telling him so surely that Alex liked him. The woman could really read the situation. Glancing over at his phone, he almost texts her, but decides to wait. Even if it feels like he and Alex have been together far longer than the  _ day  _ it’s actually been, he doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. 

When Alex comes out of the bathroom — with just a towel around his waist — Henry’s still laying in their joined beds, stretching out his delightfully sore muscles. Alex pauses for a moment just outside the doorway to the en suite and just smiles at him. Henry returns the smile, wondering if he’s going to do anything. With his smile still on his face, Alex turns and walks over to his suitcase, digging out something to wear for the day. 

Such a simple little moment, and yet it feels like something Henry’s never had before. Instead of getting caught up in thoughts that are coming to his head far too early, he jumps out of the bed and walks toward the bathroom, laying a hand on Alex’s back as he passes him. 

With ten minutes to spare, both of them are dressed and ready. Henry sits on the end of the bed while Alex runs his hands through his curls for maybe the fifth time. 

“Your hair looks fine,” Henry says, laughing a bit. 

Alex turns around from the mirror and looks at him. “Just fine? Pass.” His fingers keep working through his hair and Henry wishes it were his fingers doing so. 

Henry groans and leans back, propping himself up with outstretched arms. “You look as bloody gorgeous as you always do, I promise.” Alex looks back at him with a satisfied expression. 

“Well then,” he says as he sits himself in Henry’s lap, straddling him. Henry’s arms immediately come out to hold him there. “I guess I have to take your word for it.” 

“Believe me, you’re gorgeous,” Henry says before kissing him again. Alex laughs against his lips, but winds his fingers through Henry’s hair. “New plan.” He pulls back and looks at Alex. “We blow off the rest of this wedding and don’t leave this room until our check out time on Sunday.” 

“That’s quite the plan,” Alex says through a laugh. “Although, sadly, I think Daisy would come beat down the door before she let us blow off her wedding.” 

Henry makes a whining noise. “Unfortunately, I think you’re right. The only day I think we’ve deviated even a bit from schedule is when James proposed we go to the beach. And since then it’s been tight to schedule. I’m sure because of that.” 

Pulling back, Alex gives Henry an odd look, one he can’t really read. “Speaking of the beach, given these new...uh...revelations.” 

Henry’s eyes scrunch shut, remembering his over-eager application of sunscreen to Alex’s body. He doesn’t want to have to own up to all of that. “What of it?” 

“Let’s dive a little deeper into what happened that day.” 

“Alex —” 

“I’m just trying to get a clear picture of it all,” Alex continues. “What was really going on?” 

“You asked me to put your bloody lotion on you and I did that. What else do you want?” 

Alex laughs, lifting one eyebrow as he watches Henry. “Oh, is that  _ all  _ you did? Huh?” Henry ducks his head so he’s not looking at Alex. “Turn around and let me do your front too,” Alex says in a terrible impression of his accent. 

“Can we not do this?” 

“Just admit what you were  _ really  _ doing.” 

Henry looks up at Alex with his defensive hackles raising. “You asked me to put lotion on you. I saw it as an opportunity to prove a point to the rest of them, to make our relationship seem more solid.” 

Alex’s playful demeanor fades, as does his smirk. “Wait, is that really all it was?” 

“It’s certainly what it started out as,” Henry finally admits, “but I’m not that strong a man and once I was going, I couldn’t really stop. Hence why I told you to turn around.” He rolls his eyes, still not meeting Alex’s gaze. “I guess I just got a bit carried away once I got the permission to…” He trails off. Even with this new level of honesty between them, he feels foolish.

Pressing a kiss to Henry’s neck, Alex says, “Permission to what…?” When Henry stays silent, he finishes the obvious thought. “Permission to touch me?” 

“Maybe.” He leans his head to the side, giving Alex more room to kiss his neck. 

“I wasn’t upset about it, you know,” Alex assures him, peppering him with more kisses. “I just had to get away from you before you noticed how hard I was getting.” 

Henry pulls back, looking at Alex with an eager expression. “Seriously?” He can’t help the huge grin on his face. 

Alex rolls his eyes. “Like you don’t know the effect you have on me.” 

He kisses him, still grinning a bit. “Still, nice to know.” 

“If we’re doing honesty hour,” Alex says, “I guess I should take my own turn.” 

“Oh?” Henry pinches his side lightly and Alex squirms on top of him. 

“Fine, do you remember that night when you confronted Colin in the bar after we’d seen his mom?”

“It was like three days ago, Alex. Of course I remember it.” 

Alex raises one eyebrow. “Are you saying you haven’t forgotten any nights in between then and now?” Henry just glares at him. Alex nods and carries on. “Anyway, that night in the bar, when you came over and kissed me, I have no idea if Colin was looking or not. I just wanted to keep kissing you.” 

Henry smiles at him, rubbing his thumb against his cheek. “Well, that was pretty convenient, since I wanted to as well. I just don’t think I’d have done it.” 

Alex kisses him softly, cupping Henry’s face delicately in his hands. “I wouldn’t have minded. Obviously.” 

“Good to know. I shant hold back next time,” Henry teases, kissing Alex again. 

He pulls back at the last second before their lips touch and stares at Henry. “Did you just say shant?” 

“Just shut up and kiss me.” 

He laughs, but obliges. 

It all feels so easy and right, sitting there, Alex on top of him, kissing him like they have all the time in the world. Really, they’re probably running late, but Henry really,  _ really  _ doesn’t care. This feels perfect. It feels like everything he’s wanted for years. 

“We should probably go,” Alex whispers against his lips. 

Henry holds him tighter. “I stand by my earlier statements to just not go.” 

Alex stands up off his lap, leans in and kisses Henry once more, and grabs his hands to drag him off the bed. “We don’t want to look tacky. And I’m afraid if we go much further, you’re going to mess up my hair.” 

“What if I told you that I really didn’t care?” Alex gives him a look and Henry’s following him out the door. He’s starting to think he’d just follow him anywhere. 

The day goes by in waves of slowness and bouts of flying. It always goes slower when Henry’s on some task while Alex is on another. A lot of honesty has come out in the last 24 hours and Henry can’t help when his mind just drifts to all the new information he has about Alex. Every now and then when he’s watching Alex from across the room, it’s like Alex can feel his gaze and he looks up, smiling. 

“Probably will be you soon enough, huh?” James asks as he stops by and claps Henry on the shoulder. 

“Oh?” 

“I see the way you and Alex look at each other. You’re mad for one another.” It’s never been a lie for Henry, but this time when he shrugs and nods with a smirk, it feels like it’s the actual truth. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re on your way down the aisle soon.” 

Henry just laughs, not needing to think of the true timeline he and Alex are on. “Who knows?” 

By dinner time, the room is set up to Daisy’s directions and they’re all more dressed up, gathered in the hotel restaurant for the rehearsal. Fortunately, Henry gets to sit with Alex during this. He’d dread sitting across the room from him. Unfortunately, they’re not alone at this table — they’re joined by Graham, Philip, and Colin. The latter glares at them nearly the entire time, but particularly when Henry puts his arm around Alex’s shoulder and Alex leans into him, putting his head on Henry’s shoulder as they listen to the toasts. 

Henry’s trying to block him out, pretending he doesn’t exist. There’s no room for Colin in the perfect little bubble he and Alex are sharing. 

They sip on nice wine and toast to the couple of the hour and all the while hold hands and share each other’s space like they’ve been doing this for a year and not  _ a day.  _

The thing is though, it doesn’t feel like it’s only been a day. Even with this trip, it doesn’t feel like it’s only been a week. For the last month, Henry has been learning so much about Alex, spending time with him multiple times a week, going on what were basically dates with him, hanging out with his best friend and his sister. The more he thinks about it, the more it really feels like he’s been actually dating Alex since before they got here. 

That thought is still on his mind when they’re back in their room later. Henry’s laying on the bed, watching Alex very slowly take his tie off as he’s telling some story. He’s not really focused on the story — some prank he and Nora pulled on June, he  _ thinks  _ — because he’s so distracted by how nonchalantly sexy Alex is. 

With a grin, Alex says, pulling Henry from his daze, “Maybe when we’re back in New York, I can get you in on some of my hilarious pranks.” 

Henry flashes him a nervous look. “As long as they’re not  _ on  _ me, I’m fine.” 

Alex laughs. “We’ll work you up to that.” 

Opening his mouth, Henry starts to ask him a question, but decides against it and closes his mind. He hopes Alex won’t notice. Of course, he does. 

“What?” 

Henry shrugs. “Nothing.” 

Alex’s eyes narrow. “No, what?” 

“Really, it’s nothing. I was just going to say something, but I decided against it.” 

Laying down on the bed next to him, Alex pokes him in the side. “No, you have to tell me.” 

Henry rolls his eyes. “I don’t think I have to.” Alex gives him a wounded look that makes Henry cave. “I was just going to ask if you…” He can’t make himself ask. If the words come out and Alex thinks he’s wrong or worse, stupid, he will go back to New York feeling slightly closed off from him. He knows it. “Never mind.” 

Alex huffs out a breath and climbs on top of Henry, straddling him and leaning over, his hands on either side of Henry’s head. “What were you going to say?” He rubs a hand delicately against Henry’s jaw. “You can ask me anything, baby.” 

It’s the “baby” that gets him. 

Henry takes a deep breath and looks anywhere but at Alex. “Does it, you know, sort of feel like we’ve...been together...for a while?” 

“That’s what you were going to ask?” 

Not knowing how to read that question, Henry looks up at Alex, wondering what he means. “Yes…” 

Alex lays down next to him again and laughs. “Of course it feels like that.” 

Henry’s head whips over as he stares back at Alex. “Really?” 

“Really,” Alex says with a laugh. He lays a hand against Henry’s cheek. “Probably my fault if we’re being honest. I was the one who made us spend so much time together. Going on what were basically dates.” 

“It did sort of feel like it,” Henry agrees, a broad grin on his face. 

“Yeah.” He shakes his head. “I mean, we already know so much about the other. We just kept spending more and more time together. I couldn’t stop asking you to do things, no matter how seemingly pathetic. I guess I was using it as an audition for an even better role.” 

“What?” 

“Well, I’d already been cast as your fake-boyfriend. I guess I was vying for a better role.” 

Henry thinks he knows where Alex is going with this, but he’s going to make him do the asking this time. “Oh? And what role is that?” 

Alex rolls his eyes at him, fighting a grin. “I think you know.” 

“I think you’re going to have to say it.” 

He rolls onto his side, propping himself up with one arm and uses the other to grab Henry’s hand. In the silent build up to his question, Alex laces their fingers together. Henry smiles, squeezing his hand in his. “Henry,” Alex says in a low voice, “I would like to be your boyfriend. If that’s what you want.” 

Henry pushes him over onto his back and moves on top of him, grinning madly. “Of course that’s what I want.” 

Alex groans. “Then why did you make me ask?” 

“Because what if you were going to ask for me to be your fuck buddy?” he asks, using the atrocious phrase Bea had put on Alex days ago. 

With a laugh, Alex yanks him down and kisses him. “Not quite what I was thinking,” he says as he breaks apart from him. “I like taking you to all my favorite restaurants and bothering you at work and wandering through a crowded museum with you.” 

Henry stares down at Alex, shaking his head in disbelief. “I like all that too,” he whispers. 

“Perfect.” 

Alex leans up and Henry leans down and they meet in the middle, kissing slowly, passionately. Henry presses him down into the mattress, pinning him with his hips. Alex’s arms wrap tightly around him as Henry’s tongue slides into his mouth. His hands are running along Alex’s body, wondering if there’s a way to get both of them out of their clothes without separating. Right now it feels like he’d die if he moved from Alex. 

A knock at the door startles them both. Henry pulls back and looks at Alex, their brows both furrowed in confusion. After a long silence, Alex pulls him back down again. Another knock rings through the room. Henry ignores it again, not parting from Alex’s lips. By the fifth knock, they’re both annoyed. 

“Henry! Open up!” The person continues to bang on the door. 

Pulling back with a look of angry horror, Henry says, “Fuck. It’s Colin.” 


	17. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for that cliffhanger! Decided to make up for it with a quick update! Hope you enjoy!

Henry very begrudgingly moves off of Alex and stomps over to the door. As much as he does not want to talk to Colin, he worries the man won’t go away if Henry doesn’t open the door. 

“Wait, wait, wait!” Alex whisper-yells, jumping off the bed and rushing toward him. Henry furrows his brows as he turns to him. With a broad grin, Alex unbuttons Henry’s shirt and lets it hang open. He musses up Henry’s hair even more for good measure. “Then he can A, see what he’s missing and B, feel uncomfortable at what he’s interrupting.” 

Henry shakes his head, fighting a grin as he turns back to the door that is still being beaten. “What?” he nearly growls as he opens the door. 

“Henry, we —” Colin cuts off at the sight of Henry, staring for a long moment at the swath of chest visible. He shakes his head and looks back up at Henry’s face. “We need to talk.” 

“Why on earth would we need to talk?” 

“Because we need to!” 

“That’s not a very compelling argument,” Alex chimes in from behind Henry. Colin is clearly annoyed by Alex’s presence in this moment — and really has been the whole time. 

“This has nothing to do with you,” Colin grits out. 

Alex slides up next to Henry and puts his arms around his waist, one hand drifting under a flap of Henry’s shirt. “You came to my room late at night to talk to my boyfriend. I think it has at least something to do with me.” 

With a roll of his eyes, Colin groans a bit and turns back to Henry. “Could you please send him away so we can talk?” 

“I’m not  _ sending  _ Alex anywhere. This is his room and you’re the one who is interrupting our evening. Why would I send him anywhere else?” 

Colin is clearly not pleased at their refusal to do what he wants. “Could we go somewhere and talk then?” 

Henry stands there for a long minute, debating how to answer this. There are so many combating voices in his head, urging him one way or the other. The feel of Alex’s arms around him are encouraging him to slam the door in Colin’s face and move on with their night. But the deep seeded pain and confusion that came from their breakup is telling him to go ask all his questions. It’s likely his only choice. 

“Go wait on the beach and I’ll be there soon,” Henry says. He’s not even sure if he plans to go, just that it will give him some time to decide. 

“And you’ll come alone?” Henry rolls his eyes and nods, closing the door immediately. 

“Are you okay?” Alex asks, rubbing his hands up and down Henry’s arms. It’s immediately comforting. “What do you think he wants to talk to you about?” 

“I don’t know.” 

Alex starts buttoning his shirt. “Well, at least you know he’s not going to tell you that he has a child he’s been hiding from you all this time.” 

“What?” Henry stares at Alex like he’s mad. 

He almost seems fidgety. “I don’t know. I’ve seen some movies like that.” Alex flutters his hands around Henry’s shirt. “What are you thinking?” 

“I told him to go out there to give me some time to think,” Henry says. “Part of me just wants to ignore him and leave him out there.” 

“And the other part?” Alex asks, reaching a hand up to Henry’s cheek. 

He leans into it, wondering how to explain it all to Alex. “Part of me wants to talk to him, wants to get answers. I, er, I need to know what really happened. You know?” He takes a deep breath and sighs it out. “He and I seemed so good together and then all the sudden he was this different person. And I need to know if I missed something bigger than his infidelity. Was he an asshole the entire time and I was too blinded by my feelings for him? Or was there a shift somewhere along the line? I swear the boy I started dating wasn’t this awful. I just want to know if I’m right or not.” 

Alex nods in reply, not saying anything at first. “Well, then it sounds like you should go out there. If you think it’ll bring you closure, then you should do that.” 

Henry wraps his arms around Alex and tucks his face into his neck. “Thank you,” he whispers. 

“I didn’t do anything.” 

“Before I met you, I wouldn’t have had the courage to go talk to him. And even if this goes terribly, I—” He cuts himself off, his eyes sliding closed. Alex’s hand drifts up to slide through his hair. “I’ll at least have taken the chance and I know I wouldn’t have done that without you.” 

Alex presses a kiss to Henry’s cheek. “Then you should go. Before you talk yourself out of it again.” Henry stands back from him and nods. “But I can’t guarantee that I’ll stay in this room the whole time you’re gone.” 

Henry smiles weakly, pressing a soft kiss to Alex’s lips. “I don’t believe it’s necessary for you to do that.” 

Taking a deep breath and kissing Alex once more, Henry heads out to the beach just behind the hotel. As instructed, Colin is waiting for him there, pacing as Henry approaches. His head picks up and whips in Henry’s direction. “You came.” 

“What do you want?” Henry asks brusquely. 

“Why did you do it, Henry?” 

Henry does a double take, trying to understand how Colin is asking the very question that’s been on the tip of Henry’s tongue for a year and a half. He can’t seem to imagine what  _ he’d  _ done to make Colin ask such a thing. “Excuse me? Do what?” 

“Why did you bring  _ him  _ to the bloody wedding?” Colin walks closer to Henry, making him take a step back.

“Because...he’s my boyfriend…” Henry says, drawing out his response in his confusion. He’s grateful for the conversation that he and Alex had just before Colin arrived. It feels better not to be lying. 

“But it wasn’t the plan!” 

“What bloody plan are you referring to, then?”

“The plan!” Colin yells again. “The entire reason I convinced James to even put you in his wedding. He was going to ask that bloke, Martin, to take your spot, but I encouraged him to give it to you, to bring you back into the fold.” 

“What?” 

“Yeah. I did that. For you. For us. I figured you’d come back from your foolish trip to America and you’d see how much you’d missed us all and you’d be ready to pop right back over and start over again. We’d get to talk and you could apologize for leaving and we could get back together and it would be just as good as it was before. That was the plan, Henry. But you messed it all up by bringing that American arsehole!” 

“First of all, he’s not an arsehole. You are. Second of all, I’m not on a  _ trip  _ to America. I live there now. Third of all, no matter if I’d come back alone or with someone, I would never,  _ never  _ have gotten back together with you.” 

Colin groans. Henry can smell how drunk he is. He hopes this is not the type of drunk he was the other night when Alex dragged him home from the pub. 

“I don’t get why you’re doing this to us, Henry. We were so good together. And then you just ran away.” 

Henry gapes at him, shaking his head in disbelief. “You know, I wondered. The whole time we’ve been in the same place this week, I’ve honestly wondered if you’d somehow forgotten the fact that you bloody  _ cheated on me.  _ And now it feels like I have the confirmation. I didn’t just  _ leave,  _ Colin, you drove me away. You betrayed me, betrayed my trust, betrayed any relationship we ever had and then expected me to be fine with it.” 

“That’s not what happened.” 

“ _ That’s exactly what happened _ !” Henry yells. He’s losing his patience with this conversation. It’s making him regret ever coming out here. He wishes Alex would have told him closure was overrated. Or told him that Colin would never admit to any wrongdoings. “I think you’re just mad that I’m happy. You fucked up, you drove me away, and now I’m happy on my own, without you, and you’re angry about it. Aren’t you?” 

Colin rolls his eyes. “You couldn’t be more wrong. If anything, I’m just mad that you’ve subjected us to being around that stupid bloody American all week.” 

“He’s not the issue here. You are. Alex is a good, brilliant, wonderful person. I’ve found someone that I can actually be truly happy with and it horrifies you. Admit it.” 

“There’s nothing to admit.” 

“Then why else would you wait to pull me aside and talk to me when it was  _ just  _ me and Alex? When you had to drag me from our room?” Henry shakes his head at him, crossing his arms. “You’re going to have to admit to yourself at some point that you fucked up. I’m happy with Alex. James is happy with Daisy. And you blew the only relationship you’ve had on a cheap fuck with guys who didn’t really matter. And you didn’t even have the guts to admit it to our friends, or your mum, or even yourself, apparently. You’re happy to lie and let me be the bad guy for looking out for myself for once.” 

“Henry, this is not how this was supposed to go,” Colin nearly whines. 

A different voice replies. “Sometimes things don’t go the way you planned. Like when you have a demented version of reality living in your head.” 

Henry turns around and sees Alex standing there, his arms crossed as he leans against the wall of the hotel. He’s in a t-shirt and joggers. Even in his casual wear, Henry is still so drawn to him. He nods his head to Alex, letting him know it’s all right to approach. 

“Go away. No one wants you here.” 

“I want him here,” Henry replies easily. He loops his arm around Alex’s waist as he approaches. “And I want you to get to the end of what you were saying. Although, I do think you’ve ineffectually made your point. I’m just not going to budge on my end of things.” 

“You’d really choose  _ this person  _ over everything we have?” Colin asks, gesturing to Alex like he’s a piece of rubbish. 

Henry pulls him tighter against him. “In a heartbeat. Without a doubt. Happily.” He looks over at Alex and grins. “You and I have nothing, Colin, nothing at all. But even if we did, yes, I’d choose Alex. He actually makes me happy, makes me feel safe. You just reeled me in with lies and broke my heart.” 

“I don’t believe you. I think if he weren’t here, I’d have been able to convince you to come back to me.” 

Henry glares at him, gripping his fingers against Alex’s hip a bit tighter. “You can believe whatever lies you want, Colin. But it’s not going to make me come back to you.” 

Colin looks up at the sky and yells. He stares at Henry, a look of desperation on his face. Henry can feel Alex tense beside him. “This was really all your fault,” Colin fires back. “You were the one who couldn’t give me what I needed. It’s your fault I strayed.” He shakes his head, now glaring at Henry. “You want to blame me, but it was your bloody doing.” 

“You should really stop with what you’re saying,” Alex advises. 

“Piss off. You don’t know anything.” 

“I know  _ everything.  _ You think Henry doesn’t talk to me?” 

Colin looks between them. His eyes linger on Henry. “We were happy, but you ruined it. You couldn’t pull yourself out of your sadness to even tend to me. You don’t think I was sad about what I’d done? But when I tried to explain to you  _ why  _ I did what I did, you just left. You wouldn’t even give me a chance.” 

“Why on earth should I have?  _ You  _ were the cheater. I was dealing with the death of my father, you fucker.” 

“Did it have to be  _ all the time _ ?” Colin whines. “I was so bored. Honestly, I just wanted your attention but you were too wrapped up in your own —” 

He’s cut off by a fist firmly hitting his cheek. Colin flops to the ground, groaning in pain as Alex stands over him, a furious look on his face. His hand is still clutched in a fist at his side. Henry’s eyes are bouncing back and forth between the body on the ground writhing in pain and the one standing over him, looking like he’s ready to strike again. 

“You never deserved him,” Alex yells down at him. “If you had ever loved him, you’d have wanted to take care of him, to be there for him, to love him. You’re just a selfish  _ prick  _ who doesn’t even know what love really is. Stay the fuck away from Henry if you know what’s good for you.” 

Deciding that their time out on the beach is done for the night, Henry puts his arm around Alex’s shoulders and steers him back to their room. Once they’re in there, both of them are silent while Henry rummages around for some ice. Alex sits on the bed and waits for him, watching him all the time.

“Are you all right?” He asks as he presses a bag of ice to Alex’s hand. 

“I feel like I should be asking you that.” 

“You’re the one with a hand that hurts.” 

“It’s fine,” Alex assures him, though he doesn’t move his hand away. “How are you?” 

Henry shrugs. “I’m f—” 

“Please don’t say you’re fine,” Alex interrupts him. “I don’t think I could listen to that bullshit and be fine. You know I’ll listen if you want to talk.” 

A long silence hangs between them as Henry decides what to say. He stares down at the ice on Alex’s hand, though he can feel his eyes lingering on him. “I...am mostly fine. I think.” He takes a deep breath before continuing. “He’s insane. And the idea that I could find closure from meeting him out there was foolish.

“Apparently I was just blinded by my huge crush on him when I was younger. I fear he was never a different person, or simply always had that hiding beneath the surface. Perhaps in my mind, I made him out to be the person I wanted him to be. But he was very clearly not that person and is very clearly  _ still  _ not that person.” Henry nods his head with a sense of finality. He picks up Alex’s other hand and places it over the ice bag before standing up from the bed. “Still though, I worry.” 

“Worry about what?” 

Henry paces away from Alex in the small space available. “I worry that…” He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, unable to look at Alex as he says this. “I worry that perhaps we shouldn’t be together.” 

“Wait,  _ what?  _ Henry —” 

“Please, just listen,” Henry tries. He can see the panic on Alex’s face. It’s reflected within him. “You saw that man out there.  _ That  _ is the extent of my dating life. And even if I know you’re not like him, I can’t be certain that I won’t be shaped by him, by what he did to me.” His eyes drop to the floor. “You deserve someone who isn’t as broken as I am.” 

Alex sets the ice bag on the bed and stands up, walking to where Henry is. He reaches up and cups Henry’s face in his hands. “Henry, do you want to be with me?” 

Henry closes his eyes, leaning into his hands. “Of course I do.” 

“Great, because I want to be with you,” Alex says. “And that’s all that matters.” 

“It’s  _ not  _ all that matters!” 

“To me it is. I’m not going to be scared off because you have baggage from a past relationship. Everyone has baggage.” Alex rubs his thumbs against Henry’s cheeks until he looks back at him. “I’ll just help you carry it.” 

Henry breathes out a watery laugh. “You make it sound so simple.” 

“It is that simple. I want to be with you, knowing everything that I know, knowing who you are, knowing the shit you’ve had to go through. I still want to be with you,” Alex promises him. “You’re not less deserving because you’ve had bad things happen to you. You deserve to be happy.” 

“I can’t guarantee I won’t have some over the top reaction to something small because of some...issue buried deep within me.” 

“And I can’t promise that I won’t pull one of my classic eight-cups-of-coffee-on-no-sleep days. Would you leave me over that?” 

“Of course not,” Henry says, shaking his head. 

“Then please believe me that nothing you’ve said is a deal breaker.” Alex holds his gaze and rubs his thumbs against his cheeks again. “You went through hell and came out the other side, Henry. How would any of that make me want to not be with you?” 

Instead of replying, Henry throws himself against Alex and wraps his arms around him tightly. “I don’t deserve you,” he whispers. 

“You can get out of here with that shit,” Alex replies, squeezing his arms around Henry. “You’ve got me.” 

Henry pulls back and stares at Alex. “Thank you for not letting me talk myself out of something that I’ve wanted for a long time.” 

Alex leans up and kisses him softly. “Anytime, baby.” 

Kissing him again, Henry whispers, “Let’s go to bed. I don’t want to think about him any longer.” 

Alex turns their bodies and pushes him back on the bed before climbing on top of him. “I’m more than willing to help you forget.” When Alex’s lips meet his, he can scarcely think of anything else. 


	18. The Wedding Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! So, I've decided to wrap this story up in earnest. There are two more chapters after this one and I'm planning/hoping to update each Sunday until it's finished. The next chapter is half written already, so I think I'll be able to manage it. Thanks for reading this story! It's been such a fun one for me to write!

The morning of the wedding, Henry wakes up to his alarm. Next to him, Alex doesn’t even stir. Henry watches him for a long moment, smiling at his fortune. Alex’s curls are wild against the pillow, his bare shoulders exposed above the sheet. Henry leans down and presses a kiss to his shoulder before getting out of bed. 

Henry showers and throws on casual clothes, grabbing the garment bag with his suit in it before leaving. He turns around at the door and has to force himself not to go crawl back in bed beside Alex. 

When he enters the groom’s suite, most of the other men are there already. Colin is sulking in a corner, and Graham is over pouring himself a scotch at the small bar. Henry glances at his watch and sees that it’s barely 9:00. He shakes his head and closes the door behind him. James’s brother is surely going to be there soon. Henry almost sneaks in the room, wondering what the reason is for James’s pacing in his bedroom. 

There’s not much for them to do to get ready. They put on their suits and they style their hair. It won’t take very long. Of course, Graham is probably on the right track. Surely, they’ll have a drink or so. But Henry really doesn’t know why he had to be here so early. He could still be in bed next to Alex. 

When James spots him, he walks out of the bedroom and gestures for Henry to join him. “You’re here!” he says. Henry smiles, feeling a bit confused. His mind can’t help but go to the information spouted at him last night. James looks a bit miserable and Henry also can’t help but wonder why. 

“Everything all right?” 

James rolls his eyes and walks further into the bedroom, motioning for Henry to follow. When he speaks, his voice is low. “Have you seen Colin this morning? He looks like a bloody mess!” He shakes his head, clearly angry. “Daisy is going to have a fit. It would be just like him to go and get himself a huge black eye the night before my wedding.” 

Henry grimaces, wondering if he should confess how Colin got that black eye. “That’s, er, not great,” Henry says feebly. 

“I’m sure he went out to a bar and got pissed and started fighting someone. Honestly, Henry, you were so wise to get out when you did. That man has done nothing but spiral.” James puts a hand to his head. “I try to be there for him, I try to help him, but sometimes I can’t help but wonder if he even wants my help.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Since you left, Henry, he’s been a bloody mess. I don’t blame you at all. It seems like you got out at the right time.” 

“I mean, I left  _ because  _ of him,” Henry reminds him. 

James takes a deep breath. “I know. I remember. I do feel I owe you an apology.” 

“Oh?” Henry holds his breath, wondering if this is as big a moment as he thinks.

“We all had something good during that time we lived together,” James says, “and then things started to go south for you and Colin. I didn’t know what to do. You seemed so upset and Colin just seemed...well, like that asshole he’s being out there. He just made it seem like he’d done nothing wrong. And at the time, I think I thought you’d move past it. Daisy and I figured your fight was a fight like the ones we had, where it seemed huge then, but then you’d move past it and everything would be fine. I kept asking her if I should say something and we both decided not to because we figured if we took a side and then you made up, one of you would be mad at us. But then you left…” 

“Yeah.” 

“I am sorry, Henry. I don’t want you to think that we didn’t care about what you were going through,” James continues, a miserable look on his face. “We cared about you so much and were so sad to see you go.” 

“I appreciate that.” Henry has a mental debate with himself and then asks the question on his mind. “Colin said that he talked you into having me in your wedding. Is that the only reason I’m here?” 

James sighs. “Well, I still had to run it all by Daisy. She seemed to think it was a great idea. Yes, Colin did give me the idea, but then Daisy and I hoped it could be a way to make amends with you. We hoped you’d agree and we could have a good time like we used to. I was glad you brought Alex as well. He seems like a great chap. The two of you seem so happy together.” 

Henry smiles to himself. “Yeah, I think we are.” 

“I’m sorry if Colin’s been a bother to you. He shouldn’t have told you it was his idea. It was, but that wasn’t the reason Daisy and I agreed to it. I hope you know that.” James looks out the doorway quickly. “He’s been such a mess, this week in particular. And that bloody black eye. I may have to send him down to one of Daisy’s makeup ladies.” 

“About that,” Henry says, sucking in a deep breath. “I know how he got the black eye.” 

James looks at him, an almost excited look in his eye. It’s a total contrast from the way he was previously talking about the injury. “Did you sock him?” 

“Not me. Alex did. He came to our room last night and “needed to speak with me” and then was rather awful about both of us. Eventually, Alex just…” Henry mimics it a bit, grimacing. 

With a shrug, James nods. “I can’t say I blame him. I’ve tried to tell him to leave you alone after I saw how often he kept bothering the two of you. He didn’t seem to care what I thought.” 

“You did that?” 

“Well sure. I thought it was very big of you for agreeing to come. I wanted you to have a nice time. I really do like Alex. He seems good for you.” 

Henry grins. “Thank you. I think so too.” He breathes out a laugh. “You’re not mad at him for marring Colin’s face?” 

James shakes his head. “Seems like he got what he deserved.” 

“I would have to agree.” 

Henry goes to walk away and James stops him, saying one more thing. “I am sorry for how things happened, Henry. It makes me so happy to see how well you’re doing in New York.” 

Nodding his head, feeling almost choked up, Henry says, “Thank you. That means a lot.” He feels a sprig of something that might just be friendship and says, “If you and Daisy ever find yourselves on the other side of the Atlantic, you should come see us.” 

James smiles broadly. “I’d like that.” 

The groom and groomsmen head to the venue ahead of the bride and bridesmaids. When they’re finally on their way, Henry gets the chance to check his phone. He has three texts from Alex, all basically just streams of consciousness of his morning. Henry can’t help but grin and send back a short text in return. 

Once they’re at the ceremony site, James and Philip wait in a room off to the side. Colin, Graham, and Henry should be as well, but Graham is talking to someone and Henry doesn’t want to be stuck with Colin. When he gets the text from Alex that he’s at the venue, Henry goes to find him. 

He spots Alex from behind, immediately recognized by that head of curls. “Hey,” he says quickly, and Alex turns around. His eyes go wide as he takes Henry in. 

“I feel bad for James,” Alex says. 

Henry frowns. “Why?” 

Alex reaches out and fiddles with his lapel. “The groom is supposed to look better than all the groomsmen, right? But with you up there…” 

With a laugh, Henry shakes his head. “Yeah, well, you should look at yourself.” Henry steps closer to him, and drops his voice. “God, you in that suit.” 

“Yeah? You a fan?” Alex asks, a smug grin on his face as he reaches out and lays his hands on Henry’s hips. 

“Mmhmm. Very much so.” 

“I kind of figured when I tried it on for you and you just bolted out of my apartment.” 

Henry nearly glares at him. “You arse.” Alex just laughs. “I can’t help that I felt uncomfortable, having such inappropriate thoughts about you while I was literally on your bed,” Henry confesses. 

“Inappropriate thoughts?” Alex asks, a barely concealed laugh behind his voice. “You should have just told me then. I’d have been game. Whatever did you have in mind?” 

Leaning in close, Henry whispers in his ear, “Don’t worry. I’ll show you later.” 

He can hear the tiny groan from Alex and tries not to laugh. “Why wait until later?” Alex looks around. “Surely, there’s some empty room here.” 

Henry does laugh this time, stepping back from Alex. He’ll be too tempted if he lets himself entertain the thought. “No, no. You’ll need to keep looking presentable today, and I doubt you will after what I have in mind.” 

Alex’s eyes go a bit wide. He pulls Henry in by the lapels of his jacket. “Not fair,” he whispers, before pressing his lips to Henry’s. 

“Oh, also,” Henry says, remembering the events of earlier, “I have so much to tell you about a conversation with James.” 

“Ooh, tell me.” 

Henry stands there, wondering if there’s somewhere else he’s supposed to be, not really caring either way. Alex listens and reacts at all the points Henry expects him to. 

What he doesn’t expect is the slap to his arm. “You told him I punched him?” 

“Yes, but he didn’t care. He kept talking about what a good chap you are, so I don’t think it matters.” Henry goes on to tell him the rest and Alex just smiles. “It’s a bit crazy. I can’t decide if it makes things better or not, but it helps explain the way he’s acted this week.” 

Alex nods. “How are you feeling?” 

Henry takes a moment to think about it. He thinks of the revelation of James and Daisy, the conflict with Colin, the days he’s spent with Alex. Coming to his own conclusion, he nods. “I feel pretty good. A lot better than I did when we landed here. And I certainly didn’t expect that.” 

With a smile, Alex says, “Good. I’m really glad to hear that.” 

“Me too.” 

Graham taps Henry’s shoulder as he walks by. “I think it’s time.” 

“All right.” Henry looks back at Alex and kisses him quickly. “I’ll see you after.” 

“Go stand there and look pretty!” 

Henry laughs as he walks away. 

The ceremony is sweet and doesn’t seem to drag. Soon enough, Daisy and James are walking up the aisle as a married couple and everyone is on their way to the reception. Henry immediately finds Alex again and glues himself to his side. 

Alex hands over his whiskey and Henry drinks it happily while Alex orders himself another. For dinner, Alex is seated at a table with Philip’s wife, so Henry trades her spots. Daisy seems too happy to care that he’s messing up her precious plans. Henry would much rather sit with Alex than sandwiched between James’s brother and Colin. 

After the first dance, Alex pulls Henry out on the dance floor, despite his protests. “Nope, you’re coming with me.” Henry feels horribly uncomfortable dancing to fast paced songs, no matter how Alex leads him. A slower song comes on and Henry is delighted to pull Alex in close. He has one hand at his back and his other holds Alex’s hand. With a smile, Alex lays a hand behind his neck and sways in close to him. 

“I can’t help but think about how miserable this all would have been without you,” Henry says in a small voice. He wonders if Alex will even be able to hear him. “Even if things hadn’t...changed between us. The whole time has been better with you here.” 

Alex lifts up and presses a kiss to Henry’s cheek. “It’s been my pleasure.” They dance in silence for a beat before Alex continues. “I wouldn’t have wanted you to be here on your own. I mean, obviously I’m glad with the way things have gone, but I’d have also happily just been here to make things easier on you.” 

Henry leans his forehead against Alex’s. “I’d have been miserable. But instead, this has been a pretty good week. I mean, I’d could have done without all the interactions with my ex, but —” 

Alex cuts him off with a kiss. Henry takes his lead and deepens the kiss, moving his arms to wrap around Alex. The two of them stand in the middle of the dance floor, unmoving, caught up only in each other. And it feels perfect. 

Later, they’re walking back to their room, hand in hand. “You know what I think the best part of this day was?” Alex asks. Henry looks over and raises an eyebrow in question. “Colin stayed the fuck away from us.” 

Henry laughs. “You might be right about that. That really might have been the best part.” Once they’re in their room, he turns back to Alex and adds, “But I’m willing to change that.” 

He presses Alex up against the door and kisses him deeply. Alex sighs out a breath against his cheek and wraps his arms around Henry. “Please do,” he breathes when Henry pulls back. 

With a devious grin, Henry pulls him further into the room, letting his hands rove more than he did in public. His hands slide down his back and land fully on Alex’s ass. He squeezes as he trails a line of kisses along his jaw. “Do you know what your arse looks like in these?” 

Alex laughs, his hands clutching at Henry. “What if I said yes?” 

Henry pulls back, narrowing his eyes. “Was this your final play if you hadn’t gotten me yet this week?” 

With another laugh, Alex pushes Henry’s suit jacket off of him. “I’m not confirming or denying anything.” 

Shaking his head with a grin, Henry kisses Alex again, pushing his jacket off, just as Alex had done. He pulls back and loosens Alex’s tie, but doesn’t take it off. He slowly unbuttons his shirt, pressing kisses along his chest. Alex’s stomach tenses beneath his attentions. Henry hides a smile against his abs. The shirt falls to the floor and Henry turns to his pants. His hands work at his belt, pulling it off quickly and throwing it behind him. 

“You’re still dressed,” Alex whines as Henry pushes down his pants. 

“Who cares?” Henry asks. Alex’s boxers and pants are pooled around his ankles, his back pressed up against the wall. Henry pumps him a few times before taking him in his mouth. Alex groans loudly, his fingers tangling in Henry’s hair. Running a hand up his chest, Henry finds the silk of Alex’s tie in contrast to his skin. 

Surprising both of them, Henry pulls off of him and stands up. He grabs the tie and yanks Alex toward him in a fierce kiss. Alex groans against his lips when their bodies press together. Henry steps back and starts shucking his clothes. Alex throws off his shoes and the clothes pooling around his ankles. 

When he reaches for the tie, Henry says, “No. Leave it on.” 

Alex’s eyes go a bit wide and a nervous laugh stutters out of him. “Okay.” 

Henry steers them over to the bed and shoves Alex down before climbing on top of him. He can feel Alex, hard and waiting beneath him. Taking ahold of the tie, Henry pulls him in for a deep kiss. The noises Alex is making are a lot. 

He starts to undo the tie and then stops. His eyes fall to Alex’s. “Do you trust me?” 

“Of course.” Alex brings him down for a kiss and then says, “Do whatever you want with me.” 

Henry can’t help the gasp before he crushes his mouth back against Alex’s. His hips rock forward and both of them groan. Henry needs to get the show on the road. He takes the tie off of Alex and wraps it around his wrists. Alex’s eyes go even darker, an approving smile on his face. Henry holds his hand over Alex’s wrists as they kiss again, writhing against each other. 

Grabbing the quickly depleting bottle of lube, Henry slicks up his fingers and presses them against Alex. He nods eagerly at Henry, nearly whining at the contact. When Henry presses his fingers in, Alex yells loudly, urging him on. Once he’s stretched and ready, Henry’s quickly sliding on a condom and slicking himself up. 

He pushes into Alex and it feels better than he could have imagined. Alex groans and Henry almost regrets tying up his hands. He sees them strain against the tie and he grins to himself. As he starts to set a fast pace for them, both of them are making obscene noises, urging the other on. His hands grip at Alex’s legs as he thrusts wildly. Seeing Alex all day, looking so fucking perfect has had Henry riled up for longer than he cares to admit. 

He jolts suddenly at the feeling of Alex’s hands on him. “What?” he says weakly, losing his rhythm. 

“It was not a very good knot,” Alex says, panting. He brings Henry in for a long, deep kiss. Henry’s tongue matches the pace of his hips and Alex groans against him. He can feel himself getting close and works Alex to make sure he’s nearly there too. 

They cry out one after the other, collapsing together, both of them laughing. Alex holds Henry against him. “If this is what happens when I wear my suit, I’m going to wear it all the goddamn time.” 

Henry laughs against his neck, pressing a kiss there. “Fine by me.” 

The two of them lay there for a long time, curled together, a sticky, sweaty mess between them. Neither of them want to move. “What time is our flight tomorrow?” Alex asks. 

“Noon.” 

“And it takes two hours to get there?” 

“Yep.” 

“And we should get there two hours before we leave.” 

“Probably.” 

“Shit.” 

“I know. I don’t want to think about getting up early.” 

Alex runs his fingers aimlessly through Henry’s hair as Henry lays on top of him. “Part of me doesn’t want to think about leaving this room.” Henry hums his agreement. “But the other part of me is really excited for what happens next.” 

Henry picks his head up and looks at Alex. “And what’s that?” 

Pressing a soft kiss against his lips, Alex says, “Anything we want.” 


	19. Homeward Bound

They get up earlier than either of them want to, but Alex and Henry are at least still together all day. Alex grabs his hands once they sit down in their seats — still in first class. “Okay, be honest with me.” Henry nods. Alex gestures around the cabin. “Was this a move?” 

“What?” 

“Getting us seats in first class. Was that a move?” 

Henry shakes his head, rolling his eyes. “No. I didn’t actually do it. Well, I suppose it was intended as a move, but not from me. Pez went into my account and upgraded us to first class. You telling me was the first I knew about it.” 

Alex lays his head back and laughs. “Man, Pez was trying to be a real wing man, huh? And yes, that pun was intentional.” 

“I suppose he was.” Henry smirks at him. “Did it work?” 

Getting more comfortable in his seat, Alex says, “Not gonna lie, it turned me on a little bit.” 

“Jesus,” Henry says on a breath. 

The two of them get comfortable, chatting aimlessly as they fly across the ocean. It’s much easier than it was heading to England. Henry had been so tense and nervous, but now, he’s at ease, with Alex’s hand firmly in his. When Henry had watched London falling away behind them, Alex had leaned over and promised him they would come back. It felt like a different sort of promise wrapped up in another and Henry was more than happy with it. 

“I’ve been thinking,” Alex says, making Henry pause the documentary he was watching. He glances over. “We have that long layover in Montreal.” 

“That’s right.” 

“And we’ll be getting back fairly late.” 

“Mmhmm.” 

“Theoretically, we might want to split a cab. Especially since cab fares from the airport can be outrageous.” Henry watches Alex as he takes forever to get to his point. “My place is closer to the airport than yours. Logistically, it just makes sense —” 

“Alex, just ask me to spend the night at your place.” 

With a bashful smile, Alex looks over at him. He squeezes Henry’s hand in his. “Would you spend the night at my place?” 

Henry laughs, leaning in to kiss him. “I’d love to.” 

Alex heaves out a sigh. “Oh thank god.” 

“Did you think I’d say no?” 

“I don’t know,” Alex says with a shrug. “It’s not like we’ve ever spent the night at each other’s places. This is all...kinda new.” 

Henry presses a kiss to his cheek. “I know. But don’t feel afraid to ask me to do things. If you’d felt that way before, we wouldn’t be...us, you know, what we are now.” 

“Deal,” Alex agrees. “You’re right. So you’ll come to my place?” 

“Yes.” 

“And you’ll let me do very dirty things to you?” 

Henry laughs louder than he should for being on a plane. He holds up a hand in apology to a woman across the aisle from them. “Of course I will,” he whispers. 

Alex laughs too, leaning in to kiss him slowly. Neither of them really care if it’s indecent. Henry can’t fight the smile on his face as he kisses Alex back. The flight home really is so different from the flight to the wedding. 

It is indeed late by the time they get back to New York and to Alex’s apartment. But once Henry walks in the door — to a place he’s been numerous times — suddenly, he’s wide awake. This is the first time he’s been to Alex’s, knowing that something more than platonic is going to happen. Even if it’s just sleeping in the same bed, curled around each other, that’s still more than ever happened before. 

Alex drags his bag into his room, encouraging Henry to follow him. He drops his stuff in front of Alex’s dresser and stands there, unsure of what to do next. Alex is going to need to lead things for him. Turning to him, Alex grins at him, wrapping his arms around Henry’s waist. He leans up to kiss him and Henry smiles into the kiss. 

“I can’t tell you how much I love having you in my place,” Alex says against his lips. 

“Well, if you can’t tell me, why don’t you show me?” 

His suggestion seems to please Alex. Henry’s pushed back on the bed and Alex climbs right over him. He kisses Henry eagerly, like he’s dying of thirst and Henry is an oasis. Henry kisses him back with just as much fervor. He tears at Alex’s shirt, pulling it off before frantically crashing back into him. Alex grinds down on him, making both of them cry out. They kiss desperately for a long time, moving into a slow, languid kiss. 

Alex trails a series of kisses down his neck and Henry breathes out a whine. “God, I want you,” Henry sighs. With a grin, Alex kisses his lips again before pulling back and reaching into the top drawer of his nightstand. 

“Well, okay then.” He grabs a condom and tosses it to Henry as he grabs a bottle of lube and starts shredding his clothes. Alex reaches for the waist of Henry’s pants and yanks his pants and boxers down in one go, Henry lifting his hips to help him. He’s certainly eager to get Henry fully stripped. Alex stands at the edge of the bed and slowly removes his clothes. 

“Come on, you tease! Just get back here,” Henry whines. 

Alex laughs and throws his clothes to the floor before assuming his original position and kissing Henry again. They can’t stop kissing, but Henry doesn’t care. Alex kisses him as he uses his fingers to stretch him in the most delightful way. He kisses him as he pushes in and fills him completely. They only break from kissing when they have to breathe and even then, neither of them move back much. Henry cries out against his lips. Alex kisses his jaw, his neck, his collarbones, his shoulders, any place he can touch. Henry moves with him, relishing every kiss and touch. 

When both of them finish, they lay together in a messy heap and Alex kisses him again, softly, like a promise. Henry doesn’t want to leave this moment. It feels too wonderful. 

The next morning, Henry knows he should go back to his apartment. He hasn’t been there for a week. But when Alex grins deviously at him and wraps his lips around Henry’s cock, Henry knows he’s probably not going anywhere until Alex kicks him out. 

Eventually — tragically — they both end up with things to do. Alex presses Henry against his front door and kisses him, delaying his leaving. Henry’s fine with it. 

“So you’ll be at trivia?” 

Henry laughs, kissing him again. “Missing me already?” 

“Fuck off,” Alex says. He looks up at Henry almost nervously. “But...will you?” 

“Of course I will be.” 

“Great,” Alex says, followed by more kisses. Henry wonders how they’ll ever get anything done now. He doesn’t really care. “Umm...maybe let’s not tell them.” 

Henry pulls back, looking at Alex with concern. After everything that’s happened, the last thing he’d ever expected is for Alex to want to keep them a secret. He’s sure the confusion and hurt he’s feeling is clear on his face. 

“It has nothing to do with us,” Alex quickly adds, his hands going to Henry’s arms. “I promise! I just...I’d rather tell them on my own. They can be…” he trails off, sighing. “Well, they can be a lot. I just know they’re going to be probably obnoxious. And, if it’s cool with you, I’d like to just deal with that on my own.” 

He’s tempted to say he doesn’t want to do that, but this is really the first thing Alex has asked of him. Based on the look on his face, he must really be nervous about what they’d say. Even if he doesn’t want to, Henry shrugs and agrees. Alex still watches him nervously. 

“Did I just fuck everything up?” 

Henry kisses him softly. “No.” He runs a hand through Alex’s hair, relishing the way his eyes flutter closed at the action. “Just...maybe don’t wait too long to tell them.” 

Alex nods earnestly. “I won’t. I promise.” 

“Great.” Alex grabs a handful of Henry’s shirt and yanks him down for one more kiss. “I’ll see you tonight.” 

“I’ll see you then.”

At his usual time, Henry shows up at the bar for trivia. He really had to slow himself down tonight. He’d been too eager to see Alex again. And how pathetic was that? He literally saw him this morning. When Henry walks in, he spots June and Nora easily. He feels like he knows even more about them after spending a week straight with Alex. Nora sees him and raises her hand in a wave. 

Weaving over to their table, Henry takes one of the available chairs. “Hello!” 

“Hey! You’re back!” June says. “I’m so glad. We were awful last week. The emcee even asked us where our friends were.” 

“That’s rude.” 

“You’re telling me,” Nora says with a glare in the emcee’s direction. “Anyway, how was England?” 

“It was all right,” Henry says noncommittally. Alex asked him not to say anything. How can he say it was wonderful if he can’t say that he’s with Alex now? “Have I beaten Alex?” 

June shakes her head. “Nope. He’s over at the bar getting drinks.” 

Henry looks over in that direction. He grins when he sees Alex, waiting impatiently at the bar. “Ah, I see him now. A slightly tall man moved.” 

Nora and June both laugh heartily. “So, why was it just all right?” Nora asks. “Did Alex not do his job?” 

He nearly coughs. “What do you mean by that?” 

“You know. It was his job to make sure you had a good time,” Nora says. “Did he not do that?” 

Henry shakes his head. “Alex was fine. It was entertaining seeing him interact with all these other people I used to be friends with. But spending a week running into my ex at the drop of a hat was less than fun, no matter how amusing Alex was.” 

“Yeesh,” June says. “I bet so.” 

“Yeah.”

“Did all the Brits hate Alex?” Nora asks with a laugh. 

“My ex did for sure. Everyone else seemed to be taken with him,” Henry says, his eyes flickering back to where Alex stands at the bar. “I hope it’s all right, by the way, I invited my friend, Pez. I barely saw him today and we usually spend more time together.” 

“Of course!” June says. “The more the merrier. Is he really smart?” 

“Yes. And he has his own eccentric compendium of knowledge.” 

“Sounds perfect,” Nora says with a grin. 

“Here we go,” Alex calls, announcing his presence. His eyes go wide as he spots Henry. He sets two beers in front of Nora and June. “You’re here!” He hands another beer to Henry. Before Henry can even thank him, Alex leans down and kisses him softly. 

It’s not until he pulls away that Henry remembers they weren’t going to do that. “What happened to not telling them?” Henry whispers. 

Alex laughs nervously. “I saw you and it went right out of my head,” he admits as he takes the chair next to Henry. 

Nora and June are staring open-mouthed at them. “What the hell?” they both ask in unison. 

“What?” Henry asks with a shy smile. 

Nora glares at him. “Okay, boys, tell us everything.” 

Alex and Henry look at each other, both cringing. “I don’t think that’s necessary,” Henry attempts. June and Nora look unimpressed. “Okay, can we at least wait until Pez gets here. He’ll want to hear it too and then we’ll only have to tell this story once.” 

“I’ll allow it,” June says. The two of them keep their eyes on Alex and Henry the entire time though. 

“Sorry,” Henry says. 

“I was the one who kissed you,” Alex whispers. “And honestly, I don’t really care. It was stupid to think I could see you and not react exactly as I did.” 

Henry smiles fondly at him until the booming sound of his name draws his attention to the door. He waves Pez over and gives him a hug. “Glad you’re finally back!” Pez says. “How is the ole isle?” 

“It was fine.” 

“Oh really, Henry?” Nora asks. “Fine? Was it just  _ fine,  _ Henry?” 

Henry rolls his eyes. “You’re so subtle, Nora.” 

“Hey, Pez. I’m Alex.” He reaches out a hand to shake. 

Pez looks over at Henry, poorly concealed glee on his face. “Alex, so lovely to meet you. I’ve heard  _ so  _ much about you.” 

“Okay, he’s here,” June says. “Tell us what happened.”

“Oh my god, something happened?” Pez demands. His eyes widen with his eagerness. 

“Yeah,” Nora jumps in. “These two were basically making out in front of us.” 

“We were not!” Alex yells before taking a long pull of his beer. 

“About bloody time,” Pez says. 

“You’ve never sat here and watched the two of them make eyes at each other from across the table for a whole night,” Nora says. “About bloody time, indeed.” She reaches a hand out. “I’m Nora, by the way. This is June, Alex’s sister.” 

They all shake hands and then turn on Henry and Alex. Muttering to him, Alex says, “Can you see why I wanted to spare you this?” Henry laughs and lays a hand at his knee. 

“Tell us  _ everything.  _ And I mean everything,” Nora demands. Pez nods in agreement. 

“You don’t have to tell  _ everything,  _ everything. Feel free to gloss over some parts,” June adds. Pez and Nora shush her. 

“Just start at the beginning,” Pez says. 

Alex sighs next to Henry, turning to look at him. “Okay, so, one night, Henry got really drunk.” 

“That’s where you’re starting this?” Henry cries. “No. That’s not how this is going. Look, it came down to both of us pretending to be in a relationship when we already  _ wanted  _ to be in a relationship.” 

“That is the most boring explanation of something exciting that I’ve ever heard,” Nora says. “Give us more.” 

Henry huffs out a sigh and looks at Alex. He’s fighting a smile on his face, clearly trying to decide how much information to give the group that includes his sister. “I mean, we were... _ pretending  _ to be in a relationship and were playing it up, particularly around Henry’s asshole ex.” 

“Oh god,” Pez says. “How bad was he?” He looks at Alex. “What did you make of him?” 

Alex’s eyes go wide and he sits forward in his chair. “Let me tell you. I’ve never met someone so fucking idiotic and immature and just...an asshole!” He shakes his head and looks back at Henry. “I mean, the whole week was just him being awful. He kept watching us...like a lot. And would come sit down with us, like even if we were sitting at a table for two people. He — ugh this pissed me off — he fucking karaoked “Don’t You Want Me”  _ to  _ Henry!” Alex turns to him, a curious look on his face. “Do you remember that?”

Henry glares at him. “I will leave you.” 

With a laugh, Alex turns back to the table, though he lays his hand over Henry’s on his knee. “What else did he do? Oh! He never told his mother that Henry left him so she saw Henry and thought they were still together, talking about how the distance was  _ so hard  _ for Colin,” Alex says mockingly. “And then apparently he never told her because he thought they were going to get back together!” Pez looks over at Henry, a confused and outraged look on his face. Henry nods. “Apparently he had a whole plan for the week to get Henry back, but he didn’t count on Henry bringing me.”

Pez laughs. “Well, you’re welcome, Henry.” 

Henry rolls his eyes. “Yes, yes, thank you.” 

“I believe given the fact that you finally got with the man you’ve fancied for quite a while all due to my brilliance deserves a more effusive thank you.” 

“Man’s not wrong,” Nora says. “You’ve gotta give credit where credit is due.”

Henry glares at both of them. “We didn’t need anyone’s help getting together.” 

Pez shakes his head at Henry, narrowing his eyes. “Okay, then. How would you and Alex have ended up talking if not for the ad? I’m waiting to hear your great scheme.” 

Glancing over at Alex, he realizes he has to concede defeat a bit. “Okay, fine,” Henry sighs. “Maybe the ad got us talking, but the rest was all on us.” 

“Yeah,” Alex says with a goofy grin on his face. 

“Did you guys find my gift?” Nora asks with a devious look on her face. 

Alex shoots her a look. Henry coughs before taking a pull of his beer. “Yes,” he mutters. She raises one brow to both of them. Henry caves first. “Thank you.” 

Nora laughs gleefully. “You are so welcome, Henry. I  _ knew  _ there was no way the two of you were going to get through that week without doing something.” She turns to June. “I believe you owe me 50 bucks.” 

Alex sits forward, glaring at the girls. “You bet on us?” 

“Of course we did,” Nora says. 

“And you thought nothing would happen, June?” he asks. All eyes at the table are on June. 

She shrinks under the attention a bit with a shrug. “Henry was a dark horse. It was super obvious that you liked him, Alex, but I didn’t know if he felt the same way.” 

Henry sits forward, eyeing June with wide eyes. “You’re saying you didn’t think  _ I  _ was obvious?” He glances around with a wide grin. “Well, thank you.” 

Nora pats Henry on the shoulder. “You were totally obvious. Completely. You couldn’t keep your eyes off of him and you laughed at everything he said. Alex is not that funny.” 

“Hey! Yes I am!” 

“It’s not that I thought you weren’t obvious,” June jumps back in. “I guess I just thought you’d be more worried about seeing your ex and your old friends than acting on anything with Alex.” 

“Well guess what,” Alex announces, “he did  _ both,  _ so…” Henry closes his eyes, shaking his head. Beneath that, a small smile stretches across his cheeks. He’s so charmed by the man, even when he doesn’t want to be. 

“So, how was James?” Pez asks. 

“Not as bad as I expected,” Henry says. “We had a small heart-to-heart about everything that happened.” 

“Wow, that’s shocking.” 

“It was. He was pretty normal.” 

“Yeah, he and Daisy seemed great. It was nice in comparison to the psycho that kept lingering throughout the week,” Alex adds. He shakes his head, clearly deep in thought. “Man, just thinking back on it, I’d fly back to England and punch him again.” 

“You punched him?!” Pez, Nora, and June all yell in unison. Henry can’t help but laugh.

Alex looks around the table and nods slowly. “I did. And I can’t say I regret it.” 

“Alex!” June scolds. 

“No, it was great,” Henry defends. He looks over at Alex with a smirk. “Very hot.” 

Alex laughs, squeezing Henry’s hand. “Was that what finally did it?” Nora asks. 

“Nope,” Alex says, “This was well after things had started. He was being a total asshole to Henry. Well, really, he was trying to get him back. Told Henry that he’d ruined his plan by bringing me along and kept trying to convince Henry to take him back. And when that didn’t work, he decided that insulting Henry would be the way to go. So, I punched him. And like I said, I don’t regret it.”

“You shouldn’t,” Pez agrees. “You did what I should have done a long time ago.” 

Alex grins at Pez before glancing over at Henry. Squeezing his hand, Henry smiles back. 

Thankfully, the emcee starts round one and everyone’s attention is on trivia and not on Henry and Alex. As usual, Henry and Nora bicker over answers. June is the one to keep the team in order. Now, Pez jumps in just as surely and causes even more chaos. It’s a fun group. And in the end, they’re victorious. 

That night, after a follow up grilling session from Pez once they got home, Henry settles in for bed. After a week away and a handful of nights spent in Alex’s arms, it’s almost weird laying there alone. When he reaches to turn off the lamp next to his bed, his phone lights up. Alex’s face smiles at him from the screen. He swipes to answer the call.

“Hello?” 

“Hey,” Alex says. “What are you doing?” 

“Well, I was about to go to sleep. What are you doing?” 

“Nothing.” 

“Alright…” Henry says, stretching out the word. 

“I just —” he cuts himself off. “Never mind. That’s pathetic.” 

“What’s pathetic?” 

Alex sighs on the other end of the line. “I was going to say...that I miss you. Ugh, but that’s totally pathetic!” 

Henry laughs. A warm feeling spreads out in his chest, a fondness for the man on the phone filling him. “I don’t think that’s pathetic. I’m glad to hear that. Especially since I was thinking it felt quite lonely going to bed on my own.” 

“That sounds terrible. You should just come over,” Alex encourages. 

“I’m already in pajamas in my bed.” 

“Damn,” Alex says with a sigh. “Me too.” 

“I think we can survive a night on our own,” Henry says. “Probably.” 

Alex laughs. “But why risk it?” 

“God, we’re going to be horribly clingy, aren’t we?” Henry asks with a groan. “People are going to hate spending time with us.” 

“There’s a chance that may be true,” Alex says with a sigh. “But I don’t really care. I clearly like spending time with you, so why would I make myself  _ not  _ spend time with you just because of what other people think?” 

“I like the way you think,” Henry says, chuckling. “I am a bit tired though. I think the jet lag is hitting me. Unfortunately, I’m going to stay where I am.” 

Alex scoffs. “I guess that’s fine. Do you work tomorrow?” 

“Yes. I believe I’m off at 5:00.” 

“How would you feel about dinner? Maybe we could go on an actual date?” 

“Do you usually go on a number of not-real dates, spend a week with someone, have sex with them numerous times, and basically proclaim a relationship to your closest friends  _ before  _ you go on a first date with them?” Henry asks, grinning deviously. 

Alex laughs loudly. Henry can picture the look on his face. “Damn it. You figured out my move.” 

Shaking his head, Henry laughs with him. “It’s quite unique, I must say. What’s your success rate with that?” 

“I guess we’ll just have to see tomorrow.” 

“Could we go back to that Mexican restaurant you took me to back in May?” Henry asks. “I find I’m craving Mexican.” 

“Well, if you came over, you could have it tonight,” Alex says. 

Henry groans, smacking a hand to his forehead. “Alex,” he cries. “Dear god.” He can hear Alex laughing to himself. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow. Do you want me to come bother you at your work?” 

“I mean, you did announce to my boss that you were my boyfriend. It’s not like they’d be shocked.” He chuckles to himself. “Quite daring of you, given what I know now.” 

Alex makes a humming noise. “It was quite a thrill at the time to say it. Maybe I was willing it into existence.” 

“Well, then you did a good job.” Henry yawns, turning away from his phone. “I should sleep. Goodnight, Alex. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“I can’t wait.” 

Henry smiles widely, already excited. “Me either.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more chapter! Thanks for reading!


	20. Another Upcoming Wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the last chapter! Thanks for reading! I'll have a lot more to say below.

**Four Years Later**

Henry walks into his bedroom, sagging after a long day of work. Alex is already sitting in bed. His eyes are intent on his computer, but he looks up when Henry enters the room. 

“Baby! You’re finally home.” 

Dramatically throwing himself across the bed, Henry groans. “This job is going to kill me.” 

Alex crawls forward a bit, running his fingers through Henry’s hair. “I know. But just remember, I have one more year of law school and then it’s your turn.” 

“Why did we think having only one of us in school at a time was a good idea?” 

“Because when we both were finishing up our undergraduate degrees, it nearly killed us? We both over studied and neither of us kept the other accountable to getting sleep or eating and it took June, Nora, and Pez slapping some sense into us to see that we had really terrible habits?” Alex reminds him. 

Henry peeks open one eye. “Oh right. And I wasn’t 100% sure what I wanted to do after school and you did. Yes, I recall how we ended up here.” 

Alex frowns. “I’m sorry, baby. I know they overwork you.” 

“I work at a bloody library. I did not expect to have these kinds of hours,” he whines. Seeing the nearly helpless look on Alex’s face that he gets every time Henry vents about his job, he changes course. He knows Alex feels guilty because by their mutual decision, Alex got to go to law school. So when Henry whines about work, Alex feels like it’s his fault for making him have to work. It’s up to Henry to remind him that it’s fine. He can manage a few years at a job that overworks him while he plots his next course. 

He jumps up and starts changing his clothes. “What are you working on? School?” 

“Actually, no,” Alex says, looking back at his computer. “I made the mistake of taking a call from my mother who sneak bombed me and I was in a conference call with  _ both  _ our mothers. They want to know how we expect to get married in January if we refuse to make any plans.” 

“What?” Henry asks, his shirt hanging open as he stares at his fiancé. “They what? I didn’t even know they had each other’s numbers.” 

“Apparently, they do.” Alex shakes his head, looking up as Henry drops his shirt into the hamper. “Come here.” 

Henry assumes he’s going to show him something on his computer as he walks over to the bed. Alex pulls him in by his neck and gives him a soft kiss. “Hi.” 

He laughs lightly, kissing Alex again. “Hi.” 

“Anyway,” Alex says, getting back to their wedding, “they also tried to tell me that January is too cold a month to get married in. My mom suggested we could get married in Austin if we were insisting on a winter wedding. I said, no, New York, like we’ve said. So then they tried to push more for spring or summer.” Henry frowns as he throws on pajama pants. “They don’t get that we were being stupidly sappy when we decided on January because it was the month we met.” 

Henry crawls in bed beside Alex, tucking himself into his side. “To be fair, Nora and Pez teased us for that as well.” 

“Whatever. I think January sounds nice. And we’ll both be wearing suits, so fuck everyone else. They can be cold. We’ll be fine.”

Laughing, Henry leans his head on Alex’s shoulder. “Isn’t that the mood of most weddings?” 

“Good point.” 

Henry presses a kiss to his cheek. “So what exactly are you working on?” 

“The guest list,” Alex says, scrolling back to the top. I figured I’d tackle the easy stuff. Friends, obvious people from both sides of our family. And then I’ll send it off to our mothers and they can add to it. Within reason.” 

“Good luck with that,” Henry jokes, scanning the list. He sits up straighter, turning to look at Alex. “Why on earth have you put the Queen of England on here?” 

“What?” Alex says with a shrug. “I put my great-uncle on there. Why can’t we invite your great-aunt?” 

“Alex, come on.” 

“We’re leaving her on the list, Henry.” 

“Why?” 

Alex looks at him with a completely serious face. “What if she sends a nice gift? Maybe she’ll buy us the most expensive thing on our registry.” He gasps, his eyes going wide. “What if she gives us honorary titles?” 

“I don’t want a bloody title. And I don’t want the Queen at my wedding.” 

“She’s staying on the list. Maybe she’ll buy us that Kitchen Aid mixer I plan to register for.” 

Henry lays back against his pillow. “You’re insane.” 

“You love me.” 

He leans in against him. “I do.” Alex slowly scrolls through the list. “If I’m being honest, when you proposed, I was not expecting our mothers to be the biggest hurdle.” 

Alex glances over at him. His face shows concern. Henry just can’t tell if it’s genuine or not. “Were you thinking about hurdles when I proposed to you?” A small tug at the corner of his mouth puts Henry at ease. 

“I said yes immediately,” Henry reminds him. “I promise I wasn’t thinking of hurdles.” He presses a kiss to Alex’s shoulder. Glancing back at the list, he sees where Alex stopped. “You put James and Daisy on the list?” 

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?” 

“Because we’ve talked to them a handful of times in the last four years?” 

“Well yeah, but if it weren’t for their wedding,” Alex admits, “we wouldn’t be getting married.” 

Henry frowns. “That’s not true.” 

Alex raises one eyebrow in response. “Oh really? So you’d have, what, tracked me down and confessed that you’d liked me and asked me to go out with you?” 

His eyes narrow at Alex, his mouth forming a thin line. “Okay, fine, I wouldn’t have.” He sighs. “I guess I just don’t like the idea that the only reason we have what we have is because of one event.” 

“That’s not true,” Alex says, taking Henry’s hand. “Look, we may have finally put our feelings out there and actually started dating because we went to that wedding together, but we still had to maintain our relationship together. We still had to make the choice to live together and get married. It may have started there but that’s not what determined everything. You still had to choose to put up with my clingy ass and I still had to put up with you shutting me out when you get really stressed with school. Which is one reason I plan to have you locked down before you go back to school. No way to shut me out in your own home.” 

“I got better about it!” Henry cries. “It was just what I’d always done. I wasn’t used to having a boyfriend who cared that I wasn’t answering my phone.” 

Alex leans over, pressing a kiss to Henry’s cheek. “You did get better.” 

“And if we want to talk about destructive school habits,” Henry starts. 

“Tread lightly, Fox,” Alex says, pointing a finger at him. “I’m doing the best I can. You’re lucky this computer has wedding stuff pulled up on it and not the paper I wrote last week that is due a week from today.” 

“I am proud of you,” Henry says, curling back into Alex’s side. “Okay, now back to this guest list. How many people am I going to object to?” 

“Probably just the Queen. I thought about putting Colin on the list, just to rub it in his sorry face that we’re getting married, but ultimately, I thought the bastard might actually show up at the wedding. And then if he objected, I’d have to march down the aisle and punch him again,” Alex says. “It just didn’t seem worth it for a brag.” 

“As the man’s ex-boyfriend, I really,  _ really  _ do not want him at my wedding.” 

“Yeah, same.” 

“You’re probably right, he would object.” 

“If nothing else than just to fuck with me for punching him.” Alex almost has a fond look on his face as he clearly recalls the night he beat up Henry’s ex. 

“Yeah, so let’s leave him off the list.” 

“Don’t worry, he’s not on it. But I do think we should invite James and Daisy.” 

Henry sighs. “Fine, I’ll allow it.” 

He does think back on their wedding with growing fondness as the years pass. At the time, even with his joy of finally being with Alex, he was still caught up in the feelings Colin had stirred up in him. But as time went on, those feelings sank back to the bottom. Sure, there were times where he’d been correct and his trauma from his relationship with Colin had affected things with Alex a bit, but they’d powered through. 

They’d graduated from NYU five months apart — Henry’d had to do an extra semester due to courses not transferring, making him graduate a semester ahead of Alex instead of a full year. They’d moved in together and Alex started law school. They’d adjusted to jobs and demanding classwork. And through it all, they’d been together. When Alex insisted they go on a walk through NYU one autumn Saturday afternoon when he’d normally be studying, Henry thought nothing of it. He just figured Alex wanted to get out of the house. But when he dropped to his knee outside the building where they’d had their shared class, Henry was taken completely by surprise. 

It was the easiest decision he’d ever made. 

Alex closes the laptop beside him, snapping Henry back to the present. He leans in and cuddles into Henry’s side, moving in to kiss him slowly, softly. “How much do you think I need to send to our mothers to make it seem like we’re making headway on this? Like, do they not know we’re busy people?” 

“I don’t see why it matters,” Henry says. “We’re planning it anyway, not them.” 

He shrugs in response, tucking his head into Henry’s neck. “I don’t know. I also don’t really care right now.” His arms wrap around Henry’s torso. “You wanna watch something?” Henry agrees. Alex breaks apart only to turn on the tv and find something to watch. 

Based on how hard he’s been studying, Henry isn’t surprised when Alex falls asleep in his arms fifteen minutes into the movie he turned on. Henry just grins, pressing a kiss to his head. As Alex starts to lightly snore against his chest, he wonders if he’s ever thanked Pez properly enough for making that stupid ad. For as much as he’d despised it at the time, Henry notes, it pretty much changed his life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading this story and sticking with it as it took me a while to finish it! I really appreciate it! I've been so touched by the love for this story! It was really fun for me to write. Writing it started as a distraction from grief and it continued to be a fun au to dive into and keep writing. I also bookended this rather upbeat story with two incredibly angsty stories (amnesia and forced marriage), so it was a fun break from heavier stories when I needed it!   
> I am not always the best at replying to comments, but I always read them (sometimes several times) and am so touched by people's takes, what they enjoyed, what they think is going to happen next, or sometimes just yelling at me or the characters! It's been so fun and I'm a bit sad this story is over. So again, thank you for reading it!

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I'm three-drink-amy on tumblr if you want to come chat! Thanks for reading!


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